Everything You Want
by Venused
Summary: When Rachel and Chandler concoct a plan to resuscitate their love lives, they think they have everything under control. Little do they know life has other plans for them. Randler, Mondler, Ross/Emily. Final pairings to be determined :
1. Chapter 1

**Everything You Want – Chapter One**

xx

_I know it's a little later than I claimed it would be, but hey, it's done now. I have this story all mapped out from beginning to end, so if things go according to plan it should cap out at sixteen chapters and an epilogue. It's a motley of pairings, so if you're a diehard shipper of any one pairing you may be upset at the twists and turns of this fic. This is set in an alternate late season four. All else should become clear as you read. Happy reading :)_

xx

Rachel entered the coffeehouse, pleased to be off from work, after an especially grueling day. She had been ordered by Mr. Waltham to sort out a dozen boxes of tangled thongs. It had ended up taking all day. She wasn't about to complain to her friends about it, either. She knew Chandler would have some comment ready for her. Though she supposed if he tried, she could always remind him he was more than a little familiar with incidents involving thongs. Especially those of the hot pink variety.

Rachel dragged herself towards the seating area, initially pleased to see several of her friends sitting around the orange velvet couch, until she noticed Emily next to Ross. Huffing a sigh, and forcing a smile on her face, and acknowledging her friends various greetings, with an 'I'm tired' grunt, she plopped into the only available seating. Right next to Ross and Emily. Naturally.

She attempted to ignore Ross's arm around his fiancée and their cuddly demeanor. She was not in the mood to deal with them or their stupid, stupid engagement right now. She just wanted coffee, and maybe, to throw something heavy at Emily.

Well, at least she could satisfy one of those desires. She signaled to Gunther, who all but tripped over his own feet in his rush to take her order.

"What can I get for you, Rachel?" he asked, smiling at her fondly, holding his notepad eagerly at the ready, hanging on her every word.

"Nonfat Latte?" She half-asked, half-told. "No, wait!" she called, amending, before he could turn to go fulfill the request, "Regular latte, double whipped cream, with chocolate shavings."

Chandler, who was sitting squished in the green chair adjacent to the couch with Monica, raised an eyebrow at Rachel questioningly, "Regular Latte? As in not nonfat _and_ whipped cream and chocolate? Must've been a bad day."

Rachel sighed, flopping deeper into the couch, "That about covers it."

"Aww, honey," Monica said sympathetically, "You want to talk about it?" she asked, garnering several mumbling agreements from the others, including Emily. Stupid British twit and her fake friendliness.

"Really, really, not," she retorted, "Let's just say there were thongs involved."

"Thongs?" Joey asked, a massive grin on his face, "How can that possibly be bad?" he wondered.

Chandler grinned similarly to his friend, and opened his mouth to comment. Before he could, Rachel tilted her head at him, questioning, "Do you really want to make a joke about this? I have plenty of ammunition geared towards you on this particular subject, buddy."

Chandler smiled innocently and shut his mouth, pretending to zip it closed. "Consider the subject vetoed," he added, a smirk on his face. Monica laughed and rolled her eyes at him, elbowing him lightly. In spite of the bad day, Rachel couldn't help the smile that overcame her face at their easy affection.

She smiled and thanked Gunther, as he handed her a cup of coffee, grinning at her indulgently. Totally oblivious to the waiter fawning over her, she turned back to her friends, nearly splashing herself with scalding hot coffee when she caught sight of Ross and Emily kissing. Did they have to be so obvious about it?

Chandler and Monica seemed to notice her look of distaste towards the couple, and looked at her sympathetically. Joey remained oblivious, munching on a cookie from the plateful in front of him.

Finally breaking away, Ross and Emily giggled like a couple of teenagers. Ross apologized for them, "Sorry, guys. You know that this is Emily's last night in New York, before she heads back to London for a bit. Actually, do you guys mind if we take off early? We want to spend some time alone together before she leaves," he explained, squeezing his fiancée's hand gently. Rachel fought not to roll her eyes. At least she wouldn't have to watch them, she thought optimistically. That did little to quell her jealousies, though. Alone time. Stupid euphemisms.

"Nice!" Joey commented seedily, "Have fun, dude!"

Monica and Chandler glanced at Rachel hesitantly, before answering, "Yeah, no problem!" "Have fun, you guys!" Rachel remained silent, smiling tightly, trying to quell her desires to strangle Emily.

"I'll see you all in a week or so, then," Emily said, smiling at them, and hugging Monica, who she was closest to, goodbye, "Bye guys."

"Have a safe flight to London," Monica told her. Emily nodded in thanks, grasping Ross' hand tightly in her own. Cuddling up against one another, they exited the coffeehouse, heading for his apartment.

Oblivious to Rachel's pain over the subject, Joey grinned as the door slammed behind them, "Ross is gonna get lucky tonight!"

"Dude!" Chandler cried in a strained whisper, tilting his head subtly in Rachel's direction, implying Joey should be a little more sensitive.

Joey looked at him confused, the implication flying right over his head. "What?!"

Rachel rolled her eyes, but smiled at Chandler, gratefully, anyway. "Don't worry about it, Chandler. I'm fine, really. They're getting married. I'm going to have to learn to live with it, eventually, right?"

Joey gasped, now that it had been spelled out for him. "You're not over Ross?" he wondered loudly.

"Shh!" Rachel hissed, "Say that louder will you? It's not like that, anyway. It's only lingering feelings. I'm over him." Monica looked at her doubtfully, "No, really, I am!"

"So you're really dealing with this okay?" Monica asked, worried for her roommate, "Because we're all worried about you. Phoebe mentioned something, as well."

"I'm fine," Rachel said firmly, "I just had a bad day, and everything is setting me off. I just want to go home and sleep it off. Tomorrow will be better, right?"

"Yeah!" Chandler claimed, a touch of darkness to his eyes, "That's how unrequited feelings, work, right? They lessen as time goes by."

"Whoa, I think we're getting ahead of ourselves!" Rachel insisted, "There's no unrequited feelings… just… lingering feelings."

Chandler smirked, muttering sarcastically, "Because that's not the same at all. Sorry, I didn't make the distinction."

Monica leaned against Chandler, who wrapped an arm around her affectionately. She tapped his knee in agreement with what he had said, "He's right, honey… from our side of the fence it seems like there's a little more going on."

Chandler smirked, "If you looked at Emily any more cattily, well, I think you'd be in danger of actually becoming a cat."

"Whatever," Rachel scoffed, "You guys have no idea what you're talking about, You're imagining it all, because you assume Ross and Rachel equals jealous mess. That's not fair. Ross and I are perfectly capable of being civilized adults, even after our breakup!"

"Well, we know Ross is," Joey smirked, causing Rachel to glare at him. He cowered under her gaze, "Or, uh, not."

"Whatever," Rachel repeated, dismissing him.

They all sat in silence for a few moments, until Chandler, never one to be able to deal with quiet, asked loudly, "I'm going up to get a drink. Anyone want anything?"

"I'm good," Rachel huffed, still reeling over her friends' accusations.

"Got my cookies!"

"I'll have a tea?" Monica asked, smiling at him, thanking him for the offer.

He grinned back, unconsciously, his smile just short of goofy. "Sure thing. I'll be right back with your order, milady." Monica laughed as he disappeared up towards the counter.

Rachel raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow, as she watched him go, a broad smile firmly on his face. Something was definitely up. Could he have feelings for...? Nah. The thought was almost absurd. Monica had–

"Hey guys!" Monica and Rachel turned, to find Pete standing over them.

"Hi!" Monica gushed, standing up to greet her boyfriend, kissing his cheek, "How was work?"

"Hi," Rachel echoed, glancing quickly over her shoulder at Chandler, who was leaning over the front counter, talking to Gunther.

"Work was, uh, intense," Pete explained, answering Monica's question, "We've got this merger going on with a software company right now, and their legal team is giving us hell… it's messy. You don't want to hear about that, though."

Rachel groaned in agreement, "Yeah, I think we all have plenty of work problems to go around. And other problems, for that matter."

"Still upset about Ross?" Pete asked, his tone serious.

Rachel looked at him, surprised he knew about her and Ross at all. She glared at Monica, knowing she was the source of gossip. "How come everyone seems to think all my problems revolve around Ross? I have a life outside him, you know! I'm over Ross."

Pete raised his hands defensively, "Sorry, sorry. Was just asking. Monica didn't have to say anything, I was calling it like I thought I saw it. I guess I was wrong."

The tension of the moment was broken when Chandler approached from the counter, carefully balancing a few drinks. "Here ya go, Mon," he said, smiling at her brightly as he handed her the beverage he'd purchased for her. When he caught sight of Pete, sitting on the arm of her chair his smile faltered, and he nodded at him in acknowledgement of his presence. Pete returned the gesture, unaware of anything amiss.

Chandler plopped into the seat next to Rachel, a little forlornly, and handed her a double shot of espresso. "I know you said you didn't want anything," he explained, "but I thought you might be able to use a boost."

Rachel smiled at him appreciatively, accepting the coffee cup. "That was sweet of you, Chandler."

Chandler shrugged self-depreciatingly. "Know any hot women you want to tell that to?" he asked, taking a sip of his coffee. If Rachel hadn't already been watching him closely she would have missed his glance quickly flicking to Monica, before returning to his cup.

Rachel dropped her smile sympathetically, and asked him gently, "Not doing so well on the dating front, huh?"

Chandler shook his head, "That's putting it nicely. Since Kathy, my love life has been crash and burn. Even with girls who I thought I might have had a shot with, who've known me for a while, and haven't run screaming yet… It all just sucks. Dating sucks."

Rachel nodded. She hadn't missed the vague allusion. Unsure how to broach the topic, she asked carefully, "Are we talking anyone specific, here? A coworker?" Getting no response she added meaningfully, "A friend?"

Chandler flushed deeply, and Rachel sensed he was fighting to keep his gaze from shifting to Monica. "No," he said firmly, "No one specific."

xx

Rachel entered her apartment, surprised to find Monica already home from work, watching a movie with Chandler. "What are you guys doing?"

"Watching Sleepless in Seattle," Monica answered, sniffing back tears, "I love this movie!" She cuddled against Chandler, and pulled the blanket they were huddled under tighter around them. Rachel glanced at their cuddly position, her gossip's eye appraising the situation. They did look pretty close… and Chandler looked pretty happy.

The more she observed them together, the more sure she was that her suspicion that Chandler felt something for Monica was more than just that. She'd have to talk to Joey. Surely if Chandler would have talked to anyone, it would be his bestfriend and roommate of five years.

Rachel raised her eyebrows at Chandler teasingly, "Really? How'd she convince you to watch that, Mr. Manly Man?"

He shrugged nonchalantly and brushed off the teasing, answering honestly. "It's what Monica wanted to watch. I do listen to my friends, occasionally, you know, Rach."

Rachel fought down a smirk, and repressed the urge to make a snide comment about how his soft spot for Monica made that kind of consideration on his part happen with her much more often, but figured with Monica listening in, that wouldn't be fair to him. He should be able to tell her in his own way.

"You want to watch with us, Rach?" Monica wondered, "It's just getting to the good part."

Rachel shook her head. "Nah, I'll leave Tom and Meg to you guys. There's something I need to talk to Joey about, anyway. I'll catch up with you later," she promised.

She walked across the hall, and knocked on the door briefly, not even waiting for Joey to answer before barging in, already calling out his name.

Joey swiveled in his barcalounger to face her. A question spread across his face when he noticed the way she was looking at him, and he threw his pizza slice back in the box. "What's up, Rach?"

Rachel sat in the matching chair, and turned it to face him, asking bluntly, "How does Chandler feel about Monica?"

"What?!" Joey screeched, clearly unprepared for the question, "Why would you ask me that? I don't know anything," he tittered uncomfortably, snatching back his slice of pizza and taking a bite. Rachel suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. Joey was a terrible liar, how he managed to act well enough to land himself a job was a mystery.

Playing coy, Rachel looked down at her hands, picking a perfectly manicured fingernail innocently, "Oh, well, I because I was just in my apartment and they're in there watching a movie, and Chandler might've said something…" she trailed off.

Joey looked at her curiously, nearly choking on his pizza. "He did?!" he wondered, "I didn't think he'd ever tell her!"

Even though she had started the little game, Rachel was shocked to hear her suspicions confirmed out loud. "So he does feel something for her!"

Realizing he'd been tricked, Joey tried to backtrack, "What! No! What I meant was that I didn't think he'd ever tell her that he really likes being friends with her and nothing more," he explained, forcing away a grimace, looking at Rachel hopefully.

"Joey!"

"Okay, fine!" Joey conceded, knowing there was no way out of admitting the truth. "Chandler had feelings for Monica."

"Had?" Rachel asked, surprised. She had gotten the impression his feelings were very much 'on'.

"Look," Joey explained through mouthfuls of pizza, "It's not something we talk about often, okay? He just kinda mentions it once in a while, when he's got it really bad. From the way he talks about it, it seems like it comes and goes. She's his dreamgirl… the one he measures the potential candidates for 'love of his life' off of, you know? He doesn't think he stands a shot with the real thing, so he forces down his feelings and tries to find someone who lives up to the fantasy."

"So he _is_ in love with her?" Rachel prodded.

Joey shrugged, "I don't know. I mean, he never says it like that. Guys don't really talk about that kind of stuff, and he hasn't mentioned her in months. I do know he hasn't slept with her," Joey added helpfully.

Rachel scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Men are pigs." Joey shrugged, not prepared to debate the topic. Rachel wasn't ready to give up on her quest for information, however. "He must be feeling something," She persisted, "How do you not know if your bestfriend is in love with your neighbour?! This is news!"

Joey shrugged again. "Chandler will tell us if he wants to." He looked at Rachel, alarmed. "You aren't going to tell him I told you, are you?"

"No," Rachel said, "But maybe Monica should know?"

"Rach," Joey said, sounding surprisingly serious, "I don't think it's really our place to get involved, do you? I mean, Monica has Pete… is it fair for us to mess that up for her? Even if it would be cool to see Monica and Chandler hook up."

Rachel sighed, her enthusiasm deflated. On her mission to find out what exactly Chandler's feelings were for Monica, she had completely forgotten about Pete. "I guess not. This sucks."

"Why do you care so much, anyway?" Joey asked, devouring another slice of pizza, "You've got enough on your hands dealing with your own issues with Ross and Em–"

"Don't even say her name," Rachel groaned, adding, "I figured I could help Chandler. Since my own love life is a bust."

"Want me to hook you up?" Joey asked, sympathetic.

Rachel laughed, "Set up by you? No thanks, I'm not quite that desperate, yet. I've heard enough horror stories from Chandler to last me a lifetime."

Joey pouted. "The last girl I set him up with wasn't that bad," he claimed, going into a spiel about how Chandler was just too picky and a 'big forehead' was not a just reason to dislike a girl. A minute into the conversation Rachel had completely tuned him out, her thoughts instead focused on what she was going to do with her newfound information. Should she tell Chandler she knew?

xx

Rachel tossed and turned in her bed, unable to get to sleep. No position seemed comfortable enough. She knew that was only part of the reason, though. Her conversation with Joey and her feelings for Ross were weighing on her mind, as well. Why was it fair that people like she and Chandler had to suffer through unrequited love, while others got away scot-free? Life wasn't fair, she decided.

Upset at the revelation she buried her head under her pillow, trying to push the unwanted thoughts from her mind, but that did nothing to help. Frustrated, she sat up in bed, and flung her pillow against the wall. That made her feel a little better, so she snatched up a shoe from the floor beside her bed, and flung that at the wall too, completely forgetting that her roommate was probably asleep on the other side of that wall.

It was only after she had flung the second shoe, and Monica burst into her room, worried, that Rachel realized she'd probably woken her up.

"Oh, Mon," Rachel apologized to her roommate, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."

Monica carefully sat on the bed next to her, and touched her knee gently, "Are you okay? With all this stuff going on recently… it must be hard for you. I've been busy with Pete, recently, and we haven't really talked about it."

Rachel sniffed away tears, not wanting to seem like anymore of a pathetic charity case than she already was. "I'm okay," she said quietly, "I just had a bad day. I learned something about a friend today that kinda made me reevaluate my own life."

"About Ross?" Monica ventured hesitantly.

"No," Rachel sighed. "A- a guy from, ah, work. Though Ross is the real source of my problems, I guess," she agreed, downtrodden.

"Oh, Rach," Monica comforted her, "You'll find your perfect guy, someday. So what if Ross isn't it? There are tons of other great guys out there. Look at me. I thought I was in the same boat after Richard, and that I'd never find anyone… but I've got Pete now."

Seeing the opportunity to deflect the conversation from her feelings, Rachel asked, "But do you really love him like you loved Richard? I mean, we all see you together, Mon. Sometimes the way you act towards one another seems more like a business transaction," she claimed. "You didn't even like him until he kissed you for the first time! Are you really telling me you think Pete's the one?"

Monica faltered. "I – uh, I don't know," she answered honestly. "Some days I do, some I don't. Most the time, I'm not really sure. Relationships need time to grow and adapt, though, I don't want to rush it. We're happy, I don't want to ruin that."

Rachel nodded, "At least someone is. I'm miserable. Chandler has been lately, too," she added hesitantly, wanting to interject him into the conversation and see how Monica would react. "It seems like he has been ever since Kathy, I guess…"

"Yeah," Monica said quietly, and opened her mouth as if she were about to add something, but closed it instead.

"What?" Rachel asked.

Monica flushed, "Well, this is going to sound stupid, but sometimes I used to think that maybe Chandler and I could've worked as a couple, and he could have been my 'one'. I mean, I don't think either of us would ever have tried anything, and especially not after what happened with you and Ross… but some days it seemed like potential was there, you know? He can be quite sweet, when he's not being an idiot. Anyway, like I was saying, it's stupid. I've got Pete now and I'm happy with him," she reiterated.

"Yeah," Rachel agreed, her head spinning from Monica's revelation, "happy. We should probably get back to bed, Mon. Thanks for talking with me."

Monica smiled at her, "No problem, you're like my sister. If you ever need to talk, I'm here, okay?"

Rachel nodded, "Okay, thanks. Goodnight." Monica echoed the statement, and left.

Rachel flopped back on her bed. Things were getting complicated.

xx

_Thanks for reading :)_

_I'd love if you'd leave a review, especially since this is a first chapter, it's important to me to get feedback on whether I should pursue this or move onto another story. So… let me know what you think._


	2. Chapter 2

**Everything You Want - Chapter Two**

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Rachel wrung her hands nervously as she sat in the coffeehouse, waiting for Chandler. She wasn't quite sure what she was going to say to him, but she knew she had to say _something_. Her thoughts were eating away at her, thinking about how he must be feeling nearly as horrible as she was. It was no use for her to be sitting by idly when both Chandler and Monica could be happier if she intervened. Joey was wrong. She wasn't interfering. She was merely… assisting.

Chandler wasn't happy without Monica and Monica wasn't happy with Pete, no matter how much she tried to convince Rachel she was. Rachel knew her as well as anyone could, and the look on her face when she spoke of Pete… no, that wasn't happiness. She was doing them a favour.

They would thank her. She would be the first one mentioned in their wedding toasts, maybe they'd even make her godmother of their first child…

"_Rachel, we're so thankful that you helped Chandler and I realize our feelings for one another," Monica gushed gratefully, holding her newborn baby close to her, "Without your quick-witted thinking and heartfelt actions, little Emma here, would never have been born."_

"_Yeah," Chandler agreed, a starry look in his eyes as he looked lovingly at his wife and brand-new daughter. "You made it all possible. So, Mon and I were thinking…" he smiled at his wife, who nodded for him to tell, "We want you to be Emma's godmother. We can't think of anyone more suited to the job."_

"_Oh, what a surprise" Rachel exclaimed modestly. Never in a million years was she expecting– _

Rachel startled out of her little fantasy as Chandler sunk into the couch next to her. "What'cha thinking about?" he questioned, recognizing her far-off expression.

Rachel flushed, embarrassed. "Oh, uh, nothing," she stammered out, flustered.

Chandler smirked, "Didn't look like nothing. Or do you always have a string of drool hanging off your lower lip while you think about 'nothing?'"

"Uh… well," Rachel stuttered, suddenly resenting that Chandler's supply of quick wit far outweighed her own.

Chandler's smirk grew. "Oh, okay, well, thanks for clearing that up," he teased, "While you ponder that one, I'm going to go get me some coffee." With that, he marched up to the counter, leaving a flustered Rachel to recompose herself.

Deciding the conversation couldn't wait, and that she would get his attention and relay how serious the conversation was before he could open his big mouth again, Rachel followed him and tapped him on his shoulder. He turned around and pretended to shocked, "Rachel! What a surprise! I wasn't expecting to run into you here!" Ugh.

Rachel groaned, wondering sarcastically to herself what Monica saw in him. "Do you have to be such a smart ass all the time?"

Chandler shrugged, but smirked and retorted anyway. "Not _all_ the time. Most of the time works too. What's up? Did you want me to get you something?" He jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards the counter.

"Uh, no. I actually wanted to talk to you. It's important," she declared, using her most business-executive-like tone.

Chandler looked at her in disbelief, "So important you couldn't wait for me to get coffee first? That takes, like, two minutes you know. What could possibly be that important?"

"I know. Yes, it's important," Rachel agreed, earnestly, "Really important."

"Is it just me or is the word important starting to lose all meaning?" he drawled.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "I'm trying to be serious here."

"Yes, I know," Chandler retorted, "It's important, remember?" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, adding seriously, "Stop beating around the bush and just spit it out, Rach. What going on? Is this about Ross?"

Rachel looked down at her hands nervously, "No. Um, it's about you, actually. I know about you."

Chandler looked at her, puzzled. "You know about me? Sorry Rach, but you're going to have to help me out more than that. We've been friends for nearly five years, I sure hope you know about me."

"No," Rachel added meaningfully, "I _know_ about you."

"Oh, well," Chandler muttered sarcastically, "That changes everything, then." He paused. "I'm still not following. What about me is it that you know, exactly?"

Rachel took a deep shaky breath, not really wanting to have to come out and say the actual words. Why did men have to be so oblivious? "I talked to Joey and he told me about your thing," she whispered the last word conspiratorially.

Chandler looked at her horrified, looking first down at himself, then back at his friend. "Joey told you about my thing?!" he gasped, appalled at they very idea.

When Rachel realized what he thought she was implying, her eyes widened and she shook her head vigorously. "No! Not that thing!"

Chandler looked slightly relieved, but still puzzled, "What thing, then?"

"Your thing for Monica!" Rachel blurted out, finally frustrated with his lack of understanding.

Chandler looked as though he wasn't sure whether to be pleased or more horrified than before. He stood frozen for a moment, unmoving, and Rachel was worried he'd gone into shock. But he quickly snapped out of it and grabbed her arm, dragging her towards the couch, his coffee forgotten. "Could you have said that _any_ louder, Rach?!"

"Look, I'm sorry," she apologized, sheepishly, "I didn't think you were going to be so obtuse."

Chandler blushed deeply, not yet ready to admit to Rachel what he was fairly certain she already knew for a fact. "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't feel anything for Monica," he claimed.

Rachel sighed, knowing he was lying and admitted, "I just thought maybe I could help. I kind of have a similar situation going on myself, you'll recall. And worse, everyone seems to think my situation is open for public scrutiny. I'm not trying to dredge anything up... I just thought you might want to talk. If you do, I'm here for you…" she left the offer open.

After a moment of unsure silence, a wall seemed to break within him, and Chandler admitted quietly, "I – I've never even told anyone but Joey. But you can bet your ass after this I'm never telling him anything again," he added irritably.

Rachel brushed his irritation aside, explaining, "It wasn't Joey's fault. I had suspicions and tricked him into confirming them. If you want to blame anyone, blame me. But I only wanted to help."

"Look, Rach, I know your intentions are good, but I don't know if this is the best idea. I just want it to go away. I'm sick of feeling like this, knowing it's never going to lead to anything," he said despondently.

"Oh, honey," Rachel comforted, "I know exactly how that feels. Do you have any idea how many times I've wished I could do the same thing with my feelings for Ross?" she asked rhetorically, "At least you have a shot with Monica. Ross is engaged."

Chandler smiled faintly, "You know if you'd told me in college that in a few years, Ross would be the one rejecting you, I'd never have believed it, Rach. You should have heard him. It was always Rachel this, and Rachel that. He even had a picture of you beside his bed that he'd wish goodnight to every, single night! He'd cut Monica out of some picture of the two of you, and framed it. He didn't get rid of it until he'd been dating Carol for months."

Rachel seemed touched by her ex-boyfriend's actions. "He really did that? I don't know whether that's sweet or disturbing."

Chandler shrugged. "It's surreal how much things have changed since then. It's hard to believe he could ever really get over you, faced with evidence like that, you know? He'd never even really had you, yet he couldn't give up on the dream. Hard to imagine he'd let go of it, once it was in reach."

"Yeah," Rachel agreed quietly. They were both silent for a moment. "I meant what I said about Monica," Rachel added, eventually, "I really do think you stand a shot with her. She's not sure if she loves Pete," she admitted, "You should swoop in there and sweep her off her feet. Prove that you have what it takes to give her what she needs from a relationship."

Chandler looked at Rachel slowly. "We both know I'm not a swooping kind of guy, Rachel," he explained, seriously, "She'd laugh in my face. It's not worth the added heartache."

Rachel touched Chandler's knee gently, "I think you sell yourself short, honey. I can see potential in you, and I know for a fact that Monica does, too."

Chandler stared at her a little dubiously, his tone flat, "Really."

"Yes, really," Rachel nodded emphatically, "She told me so herse…" she trailed off, mid-sentence when Chandler stiffened, his attention directed towards the door. Rachel turned in her seat to see Monica and Pete approaching, clutching one another's hands, both looking downright ecstatic.

"They look pretty happy together to me," Chandler muttered just loud enough for Rachel to hear, quietly offering polite greetings to Monica and Pete as they settled into the green chair together.

Monica looked at her friends a little perturbed, "Geez, who died? What's up with you guys? You look like something awful just happened."

Rachel smiled overly brightly at her friend, shaking her head, "Oh, no, it's nothing. We were just talking about… tennis. The guy Chandler was rooting for lost, so we're sad."

Chandler nodded along with the horrible cover story.

Monica looked at them oddly. "It's just a game, you guys know that, right?"

"Yeah" Rachel laughed, "I guess we're feeling a little overemotional today. Anyway, we should be going. You wanted help buying, um, a new tie, didn't you, Chandler?" she asked, not waiting for him to respond, before grabbing his hand and dragging him out of the coffeehouse.

Pete watched them go, an odd expression on his face. "Your friends are weird, sometimes."

"They are," Monica agreed, "but they're not usually _that_ weird. Something is definitely up. I'm not sure what, though."

"That escape was pathetic. It seemed like a 'let's get out of here to go makeout in the parking lot' escape," Pete commented.

Monica laughed loudly. "Rachel and Chandler hook up? Not going to happen. She wouldn't, trust me."

Once she'd pulled Chandler outside, Rachel explained, "I thought you could do with getting away from that," she gestured back towards the coffeehouse where Monica and Pete were sitting, laughing about something. "Come on," she said, already pulling him down the street, "I know a place with the best ultra-fattening, post-breakup chocolate cherry cheesecake ever."

xx

In the weeks that followed Chandler's coffeehouse confession, he and Rachel bonded over their pathetic love lives. It had gotten to the point where Chandler was more likely to go to Rachel with his problems than Joey. He'd never really shared the depth of his feelings with Joey; he was a guy, he simply didn't care to discuss it. The only other person he let himself share as much with was Monica. But he couldn't very well confide in her about this, and Rachel was more than willing to oblige him whining about her bestfriend. She seemed to feel almost as if she had as much of a vested interest in him and Monica getting together as he did. It was nice to have someone care so much.

Chandler had never been one to believe that talking about his problems would help him feel better, but it did. He was surprised by how comforting it was to have someone willing to just listen to him spill his anguish over his feelings for Monica without judging. That was certainly something he never thought he'd find in Rachel, of all people. Since when could she keep a secret?

"Hey, Rach," Chandler greeted his friend, sliding into the booth opposite her at the trendy downtown salad bar. Since their offices were minutes apart from one another, they'd made a habit of meeting up during lunch breaks to discuss matters away from the threat of their well-meaning but oblivious friends' eyes and ears. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing," Rachel groaned, crossing her arms on the table in front of her, "Emily asked Monica to be a bridesmaid at her wedding, this morning. I know they're getting married and the date just keeps creeping closer and closer, but it never really, actually, hit me how final it was. I still thought 'maybe,' but once you pick bridesmaids you can't back out, you know? This is the end of the story of Ross and Rachel."

Chandler looked at her sympathetically, all traces of his usual teasing gone. "Maybe you should tell him, Rach? I mean, you're going to regret this for the rest of your life if you don't at least try."

Rachel managed to smirk through her melancholy. "Why don't you just put yourself out there and tell Monica?" she shot back.

"Touché." She was right. There was little to no chance of _that_ happening.

Rachel answered the question, anyway. "You know why, because it'd hurt more to hear him give me that Goddamned 'I love you as a friend' speech than to just let him go. I just want to start moving on, not dredge up hope, only to have it shattered again, like it always is. Love sucks."

"Yeah, it does," Chandler agreed sipping his water, "Why do we even bother trying any more? Love always just ends in disaster. Looks like my parents taught me something useful, after all."

"Mine aren't much better," Rachel shrugged, "The way they handled their divorce was pathetic. Worse than your parents, maybe."

"But then look at Ross and Monica's parents, they've been going strong thirty years. What makes them so much different?" Chandler wondered.

Rachel shrugged, laughing. "They're normal?"

"And we aren't normal?" he asked, seemingly offended.

Rachel smirked, "Do you even have to ask?"

"Good point," Chandler muttered, glumly. They were both quiet for a moment. "The worst part is I have to see her everyday and realize what I'm missing. I'm thankful for her friendship… but how am I ever supposed to move on if she's always there to constantly remind me how amazing she is?"

"Maybe we just need time," Rachel suggested, "Time is supposed to heal all wounds, right? You've moved on before. Remember Kathy, and how crazy you were over her?"

"Yeah," Chandler agreed, "But my feelings for Monica were never like this before. It's like after Kathy things just went downhill. Before it was always just a vague wondering about what could be, not some all consuming… thing," he said vaguely, wary of actually saying the word 'love,' "I could sleep at night! What is wrong with me?"

"Do we really want to go down that road?" Rachel teased, causing Chandler to shoot her a sarcastic glare.

"I mean, seriously? What's wrong with me? Why do I only want her now that she has someone else? Three months ago I was in love with Kathy! I would look at Monica and see one of the best friendships of my life… But now, when I look at her all I see is how gorgeous her eyes are when she's so happy she almost seems to glow from within… Or how her smile brightens the room... Or how sexy she looks in that little red dress she's wearing on her date with Pete! Pete! It's so wrong. But I – I can't be around her without thinking about, just, her… and all the very inappropriate things I wish I could do with her... and it seems to only get worse, not better." Chandler rambled.

Rachel squeezed Chandler's hand comfortingly. "That's totally normal, hon. Sometimes things get worse before they get better."

"You know what?" Chandler suggested out of the blue, "Do you want to come with me to see the Knicks, tonight? I think we could both use some distraction."

"Okay, that was random," Rachel laughed.

Chandler shrugged "Joey was supposed to come, but he bailed. Some 'hot chick he's been dying to go out with' has come knocking down his door," he explained sardonically. Joey knew nothing about truly wanting something you couldn't have. Everything he ever wanted came breezing into the apartment they shared, in stilettos and a mini-skirt, or a big flat box.

Rachel laughed out loud, seeing the same irony Chandler did. "He's been dying? For what? The past three days? He should try going months and see how he feels, then."

"Foreign concept to Joey," Chandler said dismissively. "Anyway," he continued, "I thought maybe you'd want to come instead, and we could block out Ross and Monica for a night. If you don't want to go, I'll just ask Ross."

Rachel smiled genuinely. "I'd love for you to take me to see the Knicks. I haven't been since my Daddy took my sisters and I when we were little."

Chandler smiled back. "Okay, cool. I'll have to teach you to love 'em, then. You can't live in New York without loving the Knicks! It's like a law."

Rachel grinned wider, his obvious enthusiasm was catching. "Deal."

xx

"You were so right, Chandler! That was so much fun!" Rachel laughed, waving her blue and orange foam finger, as they stood outside Madison Square Garden trying to hail a cab in the post-game hustle and bustle. "I can't believe I've never done that before!"

Chandler grinned at her. "I told ya I'd teach you to love the Knicks, didn't I?" he questioned.

Rachel nodded, her expression setting into a frown as she appraised their surroundings. "We're never going to get a cab like this. Is it always this bad after games?" she wondered.

"Yeah," Chandler admitted, sheepishly.

Rachel grabbed his hand, pulling him to an area where the crowd had thinned, and whistled loudly. A cab immediately pulled up in front of them. Chandler stared at his friend, impressed. "Wow, you're good," he complimented.

Rachel winked, as they crawled into the backseat of the cab, Chandler offhandedly spouting directions to the driver, "You don't know the half of it."

Chandler grinned, pretending to be shocked. "Why, are you flirting with me, Miss Green?"

Rachel laughed. "Hell no. In your dreams, Bing. Just stating a fact."

Chandler seemed a little hurt, the veil of friendly banter not quite enough to spare his pride. "And, there it is," he announced, "You're female, after all, I should have known."

"You want my roommate, not me, remember?" Rachel asked, her tone implying she was joking, but the comment had the opposite effect, sobering them both. "God, I'm sorry, Chandler," she amended, "That was incredibly insensitive of me. I didn't mean it like that."

Chandler smiled, "Don't go giving yourself too much credit," he smirked, "it's nothing to do with you... It's just, with the game and everything going on, I almost managed to forget everything with Monica. Now it's all just come crashing back."

"For what it's worth," Rachel stated, "I had fun tonight. I'm glad I have a friend like you. You got me forgetting Ross, too."

"One night down, a lifetime to go," Chandler sighed, "Guess that's something, at least."

"Yeah," Rachel agreed, adding hesitantly, unsure whether it would seem appropriate, "Do you think they ever think of us like we do them? When they're alone at night, left to their thoughts… and just wondering what could have been?"

Chandler seemed to consider the question seriously. "I'm not sure. Maybe. Ross probably does. You guys have history; there are lots of things about the way your relationship played out for him to regret. Monica, I don't think would. She has no reason to."

Rachel shook her head, declaring, "I think you'd be surprised. Monica's always had a soft spot for you."

Chandler looked at her in surprise, "Really?"

"Please don't tell me you're that oblivious. It's so obviously there that Joey could see it," Rachel insisted, "Monica's always been a bit of a closed book, when it comes to talking about you. I remember, when I had first moved to the city, we had a girls night, and we were hanging out, gettin' a little drunk, and got to talking about men and love… and she mentioned that she thought that you were cuter than Joey. There was just something about the way she said it… Pheebs and I, we pushed and pushed, trying to get her to spill something juicy. The way she was acting, we were certain that when we got her to crack, she was going to confess to a big elaborate affair with you, or something, but we got nothing." Rachel suddenly frowned, "I don't even know why I remember that at all. I haven't thought about it in years."

Chandler sat in shocked silence, suddenly regretting his immense lack of courage. Why hadn't he said something years ago? Before there was a Pete, or a Richard, for that matter?

Rachel smiled sympathetically at his silence, her tone soft, "I'm sorry, honey. Should I not have told you that?"

Chandler forced a very false looking smile. "No, it's fine," he insisted, "I just wish…" he trailed off.

Sensing where his thoughts were, Rachel ventured a guess, "That you'd told her earlier?"

Chandler nodded slightly, "I – I guess. Partly. And maybe this is going to make me sound horrible," he looked down at his lap, brushing invisible lint off his jeans to avoid Rachel's eyes, "but I just wish Pete was gone. I wish I could make her see how good we could be, and with him there, that isn't an option. I don't want to have to beg her to consider 'us' or to dump Pete. That isn't fair. I just want her to want it as much as I do."

"Well," Rachel thought out loud, not seeming to think his confession was horrible in the least; the serious thought she was lending to the matter no doubt coloured by the few beers they'd had during the game, "Why not? You're a great guy, Chandler. Maybe we could make her realize without having to come out and tell her?"

"How do you mean?" he asked suspiciously.

Rachel shrugged, suggesting innocently, "Make her jealous?"

"Jealous of what? I have nothing for her to be jealous _of_. My life sucks, thank you for noticing. Have you listened to me at all these past few weeks?" Chandler drawled.

Rachel rolled her eyes, and suggested carefully, "What if I was your girlfriend?"

xx

_Thank you all so much for the great response to the last chapter :) You made my week. _

_I'm surrounded by university coursework all the time, so I'm not going to be able to update super frequently, but it's my goal to try and update Saturdays. We'll see how that works out :P I'm not promising anything, but reviews always motivate me *hinthint* ;)_


	3. Chapter 3

**Everything You Want - Chapter Three**

xx

Chandler stared at Rachel in utter disbelief. "What?!" he screeched, causing the cabdriver to shoot him a look. His cheeks flushed and he lowered his voice self-consciously, "You're kidding, right?!"

Rachel stared back, evenly. "I'm serious," she insisted, her solemn face and calm tone indicating that she really was. "What harm could it do? It's just a little pretending to find out the truth."

"Yeah! And to destroy a relationship!" Chandler added. He looked at her suspiciously, his eyes narrowed, "What's in it for you, anyway?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Come on, Chandler, you're not that stupid," she said, "The name Ross ring a bell? Let's just call it two for the price of one. We could both benefit from this."

"Isn't that a little cold, though?" Chandler asked, considering the moral dilemma, "I mean, Ross and Monica are our best friends. Who are we to destroy their happiness?"

"That's the beauty of this plan," Rachel countered, "We wouldn't be doing anything wrong. They don't have to be jealous. Whether or not they are, that's all them. You and I can be in a 'relationship' if we want to be. Ross and Monica are both attached. They have no reason to object."

"I don't know," Chandler faltered, "It just seems so dishonest. Do you really think the start to a healthy relationship is tricking your significant other into realizing their feelings? Say it does work… what if they ever found out?"

"Chandler, there is nothing wrong with this!" Rachel said adamantly, "Think of it as just giving them a nudge along. Like a catalyst for something that's already there. We can't do nothing… and I don't think you've come up with anything better."

"Well, _somehow_," Chandler drawled sardonically, "keeping it a secret for the rest of my life and taking it to the grave seems like the more appealing option right now."

Rachel looked offended, and snipped, "Are you saying I'm not fake girlfriend material?"

"Rach!" he growled, "So not the point! Even if I did, this whole thing feels so wrong. Besides, to trick everyone into thinking we were a couple, wouldn't we actually have to act like one?"

Rachel seemed to genuinely be considering the plan seriously. At first she had only really suggested it spur of the moment, in response to Chandler's comment about wanting Monica to see him in a new light, but the more she thought about it, the more the idea appealed. It would involve little risk of additional heartbreak. Either the plan worked or it failed, no additional heartache of asking Ross or Monica how they felt required for either her or Chandler. "Well, yeah, I guess so," she responded to Chandler's question eventually, "But it's not like we'd be having sex or anything. I think I can handle holding your hand once in a while or kissing you in front of the others. I mean, we're friends, we can be mature about this, right?"

Finally realizing she was deadly serious, Chandler responded quietly, "You really are serious about this, aren't you?" No answer was required. "Look, I want to, you know I love you and you're one of my best friends, Rach, but this is seeming a little crazy. Besides, haven't you seen any movies? People who pretend to be a couple always fall in love!"

Rachel waved her hand dismissively. "That won't happen with us. We're practically siblings," she claimed, "If I end up with Ross and you with Monica, we will be siblings in-law! Look, maybe you just need some time to think it over a bit. You don't have to decide right now, but consider it, okay?" she asked, as their cab pulled up in front of their apartment building. She slid out of the cab closely followed by Chandler, who paused to pay the driver .

"Okay," Chandler agreed quietly, making a snap decision, "Maybe I'm crazy, but I'll consider it, alright?"

xx

In relative silence Chandler and Rachel made their way up to her apartment, both of them mulling over their conversation.

When Chandler opened the door to the apartment, they were surprised to be greeted by a party, already in full swing. Upbeat music was playing, and guests were chattering away, lounging around the apartment.

"What's going on?" Rachel wondered, looking at Chandler.

He shrugged, "I don't know. It's your apartment!"

Within seconds Monica came rushing up to them, and hugged them both tightly. "Where have you guys been? How come you haven't been answering your phone, Chandler?" she asked, worriedly.

"I left it at home," he answered, "Rach and I went to a basketball game. Didn't see the point in bringing it. What's going on?" he asked, gesturing around him at all the people, gathered in the apartment, "What are we celebrating?"

"We decided to throw Ross and Emily and impromptu engagement party," Monica explained, "They're getting married a month from now, so we figured it would be a good time to celebrate before Emily gets too wrapped up in wedding details. We've been looking all over for you guys, why didn't you tell us where you were going?"

Rachel shrugged sullenly, fighting the urge to run into her room and hide away from the party. She was not in the mood to celebrate her ex-boyfriend's engagement to the competition. "We didn't think you'd notice we were gone for a couple hours much less plan an entire party while we were gone."

Monica nodded, already shifting back into perfect hostess mode, "Yeah, sorry about the lack of warning. Okay, well, we've got tons of food if you're hungry," she paused, taking in Rachel's appearance, "and there's plenty of booze if you want to forget you're at Ross' engagement party," she added knowingly.

Chandler patted Rachel's shoulder sympathetically and smiled at Monica, "Thanks, Mon, everything looks great. Don't worry about Rach, I'll keep an eye on her. Y'know, make sure she doesn't get alcohol poisoning and all, while drowning her sorrows away." Rachel hit him in the arm for the jab, but Chandler hardly noticed, Monica had cracked a smile at the joke, causing him to grin back goofily. He loved being the one to make her face light up like that.

Monica's attention was quickly diverted from Chandler and Rachel when she realized that someone had left a cold beer sitting on the coffee table without a coaster, "Enjoy the party, guys! I've got a Code Eleven to attend to," she explained, rushing off to gather her cleaning supplies.

"Code Eleven?" Chandler wondered out loud, confused.

"Code Eleven is condensation rings," Rachel explained flatly, "Don't even ask me why I know this. Let's just say when you move in with Monica there's a mandatory Monica 101 course you must pass."

Chandler smirked, "If Code Eleven is condensation rings, what are codes one to ten? How many Monica-cleaning emergencies can there be?" he wondered.

"Trust me, we don't want to go there," Rachel explained. "Come on," she insisted, glancing at Ross and Emily, who were dancing happily in the centre of the room, unaware of anyone around them. She grabbed Chandler's arm and dragged him towards the table that had been set up with all the alcoholic drinks, "If there's ever been an excuse to get wasted, this is it."

Chandler smiled, following obediently, not really willing to let her get smashed all alone. This way he could step in if necessary. Rachel immediately grabbed a cooler, and tried to hand Chandler one as well.

He refused the drink, looking at it as if it was growing tentacles. "What? Do I look like a girl to you?"

Rachel smirked, "Hmm, do you really want me to answer that?"

Chandler ignored her comment and said, "Give me a real drink."

Rachel presented him with a beer as if she were handing it to a king, "Does this beverage meet your royal standards, my highness?" she laughed, rolling her eyes.

Chandler shook his head at Rachel in disbelief, and accepted the drink, "Since when have you gotten so sarcastic?"

"Been hanging out with you a little too much these past few weeks, I think," she claimed, with a smile, "It's kind of growing on me, actually! My comebacks have improved big time! In fact, I think I just might have a shot at getting into the witty Olympics this year."

"Special needs? Or regular?" Chandler smirked, unable to let her have the last word.

Knowing she was beat, Rachel gulped her cooler and muttered, "That was cold, Bing."

xx

Chandler's plan to keep Rachel's drinking in line had failed miserably. Though they weren't quite plastered, they were definitely tipsy, proven by Chandler's inability to walk in a straight line. In her drunken state, Rachel had suggested it would be a good idea for her to wish congratulations to Ross and Emily. Equally intoxicated, Chandler had been unable to come up with a reason why that was a bad idea, and watched from the sidelines as she clung to Ross, announcing loudly how happy she was for him. It was clear the ordeal was embarrassing Ross and Emily, but it was too late to intervene now that the damage was done. Besides, Chandler thought, Rachel might have been on to something. In his slightly drunken and more daring state it was seeming like a great opportunity for him to talk to Monica. Maybe it would help make his decision regarding Rachel's plan a little easier, his alcohol-influenced mind rationalized.

He stumbled up where she was straightening the platters on the snack table and grinned drunkenly at her, from behind for few moments. She looked amazing in her bright blue cocktail dress. The colour matched her eyes perfectly and the empire waist showed off an amazing figure… Whoa. No. Not safe territory. He tore his eyes away, fighting down his feelings, and tapped her lightly on the shoulder, "Hey, I know you love being the hostess and all, but you should have some fun too. Did you want to dance?"

Monica smiled, appreciative of the offer, "Yeah. I'd like that. It's sweet of you to ask. No one else has. I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off."

"And there's a lovely romantic image to dance to," Chandler smirked, pulling her towards the centre of the room where furniture had been pushed aside to make room for a makeshift dance floor.

"Romantic?" Monica laughed, "Yeah, this is hardly the most romantic setting."

"Hey, it's a slow song," Chandler countered, "that's romantic."

"Yeah," Monica smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck, and leaning against his chest as they swayed to the music, "I guess that is pretty romantic."

Chandler forced away the emotions that the sensation of her fitting perfectly in his arms and the soft, feminine scent drifting from her hair were arousing in him. "Umhm," Chandler agreed, simply, wanting to just revel in the feeling of being close to her in a way that crossed no lines or made her uncomfortable.

Unable to stand silence, even the comfortable silence that had engulfed them, Chandler broke it a few moments later, "I don't think romance suits me, anyway. None of the girls I've ever went out with have thought so. My idea of a romantic date is giving a girl roses and going to a restaurant with soft music playing, lit softly by candlelight and just being happy to be together, you know, reveling in every brush of the hands, every touch. You know, like movie love. I'm probably just going about it all wrong. I'm not really a movie-boyfriend type."

"Chandler," Monica smiled, looking up at him with soft doe eyes, "That's crazy. Your vision sounds perfect."

"Really?" Chandler asked, trying not to sound needy.

Monica nodded emphatically, "Definitely. If any man I ever went out with did all of those things you just said, I'd never let him go. Trust me. The girls you went out with are crazy. Don't let them change you. You're fine the way you are, okay?"

"Okay," Chandler agreed quietly, pulling her slightly closer to him.

Monica cleared her throat, aware of something, though she wasn't quite sure of what, between them. "How's Rachel holding up?" she asked, a touch too loudly, "I noticed you've kind of been her confidante lately."

"Yeah," Chandler agreed quietly, admitting, "She's doing alright. I guess we can kind of relate to one another, you know," he said, staring softly into Monica's eyes. Realizing he'd said too much, he quickly amended, "I mean, you know how I went through a similar wanting-someone-you-can't-have phase with Kathy and all."

"Oh," Monica said, her tone a little overly bright. Chandler wondered if he heard a touch of disappointment in her voice, but pushed it off as his own wishful thinking. "You, uh, guys seem to be really close lately."

Chandler nodded, "Yeah, can you imagine? Who'd ever have thought of me and Rach bonding, huh?"

"Not me," Monica agreed quietly, "Anyway, I know this may sound a little stupid," she flushed and looked away, "But we've always been a little closer than the other couples in our little group, but now that you're always hanging with Rachel and me with Pete, it seems like we're losing that a little bit. I miss you as a friend."

Chandler forced himself to swallow the painful lump in his throat that the description of him as a 'friend' and the reminder of Pete had caused, and answered calmly, but determinedly, "You never have to worry about losing me as a friend, okay, Mon?"

"I know," Monica said, smiling at him gratefully as the song they had been dancing to came to an end, "Thanks for asking me to dance. I'm glad we got a chance to talk."

"Me too," he whispered.

xx

"Hey, heey, stud!" Rachel called out drunkenly as she sidled up to Chandler, later, as the party was beginning to wind down, "I saw you gettin' all cuddly wuddly with Monica! Seal the deal did we, hmm?"

Chandler smirked at her state; his drunkenness having worn off for the most part by this point. "No. Nothing like that. We had a good talk, though. She did say that she misses me now that I'm hanging out with you so much, though," Chandler offered.

"Told ya!" she exclaimed.

Chandler couldn't help but laugh out loud, "I don't think you ever did, Rach."

"Nooo," Rachel protested, swaying slightly on the spot, causing Chandler to reach out to steady her, "Not that, that she's jealous! It's soo obvious she's upset you're hanging out with me, and not her. You need to just go for it! You're in!"

"As helpful as that is, Rach," Chandler teased, "I don't know if I want to take advice from someone who can't even stand up on her own two feet."

"No, really!" Rachel said, making a conscious effort to stand up straight and sound less drunk, "I'm serious. This is the perfect opportunity for you to talk to her, too."

"What do you mean?"

"She's in her bedroom, alone," she explained, " I just saw her go in there. Come on, Chandler! Grow some balls and just talk to the woman you love. You have a real shot, here. Let me live vicariously through you."

"Vicariously?" Chandler laughed, "Maybe you're not as drunk as I thought."

"Told ya," Rachel said smugly, "Now for the love of God, go talk to her."

Chandler nodded hesitantly, "O-okay, I'll talk to her," he agreed, a little motivated by all the bravado. He headed towards Monica's bedroom shaking, his palms sweating, feeling like he was about to collapse. Conscious that Rachel was watching his retreating back, and not wanting to see the smirk she undoubtedly wore, he carefully kept his focus ahead of him.

He knocked cursorily on Monica's bedroom door, entering before she had a chance to answer. He stood in shock, staring wide eyed at the sight before him, a sharp pain shooting down his spine.

Monica and Pete, kissing.

He muttered a quick apology for interrupting them, and rushed out of the room, closing the door behind him. He wasn't quite willing to admit to himself how much he was hurt by the sight.

He'd only really taken a few steps, before Monica burst out of her bedroom, clearly having made some excuse to Pete, and called out his name. He pretended not to hear. She caught up with him, by the time he'd reached the table laid with all the party snacks, and tapped him on the shoulder gently, to get his attention. Reluctantly he turned to face her, making sure his face was a mask of indifference.

"Chandler?" she asked softly, "Is something wrong? The look on your face just now…"

He forced a smile, "What? No. Nothing's wrong. I was just shocked to see you," he swallowed heavily, "making out with Pete. And you know, I'm kinda tired and still a little drunk. It's been a long night."

"Oh," Monica said quietly, nodding, "I just thought I should check. Since you're my best friend and all."

He smiled tightly, and offered her a friendly hug, "Yeah, thanks for your concern, but I'm fine," he reassured.

Monica nodded politely, "Okay then, I should…" she trailed off, gesturing to her room and Chandler knew she was referring to getting back to Pete.

"Yeah, okay," Chandler nodded agreeably, fighting not to make a face, and whispered sincerely, "Goodnight, Mon."

"Goodnight, Chandler," she returned in an equally quiet voice, before heading back where she had come from.

Chandler marched back over to where Rachel was talking with some random girl. He smiled overly-friendly at the woman and explained, "I need to talk to Rachel. It's urgent. She'll be right back." He grabbed Rachel's arm, dragging her away to a spot a few metres away, where they'd be less likely to be overheard.

Rachel looked at him oddly, "Okay? What was that about?"

Chandler ignored the question, saying instead, "You know that plan thing? I'll do it."

xx

_Thank you all for reading :)_

_The procrastinator in me (the dominant part of me, really) has taken a major hit because I actually managed to get this done when I said I would. Hallujah! :)_

_I'm blown away by all the support and the number of people rooting for specific couples. I'm not going to ruin it, but if you've read my other stories, I think you'll know what kind of writer I am ;) _

_Anyway, please review once again. Reviews are what keep the procrastination at bay ;)_


	4. Chapter 4

**Everything You Want – Chapter Four**

xx

Chandler couldn't help but replay the scene he had just witnessed in his head, repeatedly, as Rachel dragged him across the hallway to his apartment, so they could discuss the technicalities of their agreement in private. His unwitting thoughts of Monica and Pete reminded him that he'd agreed to Rachel's plan for a reason. He just couldn't take it anymore. It was selfish, he knew, but he was tired of the ever-present sting in his heart. Maybe agreeing to Rachel's scheme wouldn't do anything to help ease it, but he was willing to try. He couldn't continue at the status quo any longer. That much was clear.

"So how are we going to go about this?" Rachel asked, swivelling to face Chandler once they were seated in the matching barcaloungers, the apartment door locked safely behind them.

"It's your plan," Chandler mumbled, uncertainly, "You tell me. What do you want to do?"

"Well," Rachel considered, "I think we should say that we've been in a relationship for a while now. I mean, everyone has already noticed our 'close' relationship." She smirked, "Ross even commented on it. He asked if something was going on between us. I always denied it."

Chandler smirked back, in response to Rachel's smug look, "You're just a little bit evil, you know that? Is that why you wanted to do this?"

Rachel shrugged, "Not really, but the fact that the seed of doubt is planted doesn't hurt. Anyway," she returned to be previous topic, "I was thinking, maybe, I could sneak you into my bedroom. Can you imagine the look on our friends' faces at breakfast tomorrow when they see you come out of my room?"

Chandler smiled at the image, "Yeah, I'm picturing bugging eyes and hanging jaws."

"Exactly," Rachel agreed, with a slight nod, "That's what we want: to shock them. All we need is a back story, now. We should probably agree on one ahead of time, in case we're plied with questions. Which we will be, if I know our friends at all."

"Maybe we were hanging out one day, like normal, and just… ended up kissing?" Chandler suggested, casually, "Maybe we were cuddled on the couch, watching a movie, probably something romantic, like Jerry Maguire or My Best Friend's Wedding, and our hands accidentally brushed," he went on, getting more into his make-believe story, the further he explained, "so we looked into one another's eyes and, just, got caught up in each other… and by no free will of our own, our lips were drawn together… so we ended up kissing, lightly at first, then with growing passion as we sunk into it…" He paused, embarrassed by his romantic vision, "Until we knocked the remote off the couch, and the noise startled us back to reality. So we talked about it and decided to give 'us' a go," he finished lamely, his cheeks flushed.

"Geez," Rachel commented, "you sure put a lot of thought into that!" she smirked, and ventured a guess, "Thinking about Monica?"

Chandler shrugged shyly and looked down and scuffed a tennis shoe on the carpet. "Wouldn't you like to know."

Rachel took his avoidance as confirmation. "Aww, that's so sweet," she nudged him with an elbow, "Really romantic. Monica's gonna be lucky to have you."

"Assuming she wants me at all," Chandler muttered under his breath, adding quickly, to divert attention, "Okay, we have a back story, now," he said, wanting to get the planning process over with, "What's next? How are we going to do this? Where are the boundaries?"

Rachel paused in consideration. "In front of everyone, we should probably act like a normal couple," she decided, "We'll hold hands, sit next to one another on the couch, maybe even kiss, occasionally. We might have to, to get everyone to believe we're a couple in the first place."

"Okay," Chandler agreed quietly, with a single, tentative nod, "I think I can handle that."

"Nice to know you're so eager," she teased.

"Give me a break, Rach," he retorted, "Any guy would be lucky to have you as his fake girlfriend," he allowed himself a faint smile at the joke, "I'm just nervous… I've never done anything like this. And I'm not so sure – you know what, nevermind." he interrupted himself, deciding it wasn't a wise idea to express his doubts about the plan as a whole.

Rachel touched his hand gently, "Sorry," she apologized, "I didn't mean to imply anything. I was just joking. I'm nervous, too, you know."

"Really?" Chandler asked, surprised. She had seemed so sure of herself, every step of the way.

Rachel nodded. They both sat in silence for a few moments. Rachel cleared her throat, pushing past the awkward silence, and continued making plans, "We should probably meet up occasionally to discuss progress, so we can gauge when to 'breakup,' maybe at lunch, like we have been, so we're away from the others?"

"Yeah," Chandler agreed, "I think that's probably a good idea."

"I think that's pretty much everything we have to discuss for now," Rachel commented. "We can discuss anything else that comes up at lunch," she suggested, glancing down at her watch. "It's nearly two, the party will be over by now. It was nearly over when we left, anyway. I'll go check if the coast is clear and come get you. Unless there's anything else you can think of that we need to talk about?" she asked.

Chandler thought for a moment, eventually shaking his head. "I can't think of anything," he said, pushing aside his doubts. There was no looking back now.

Rachel nodded and gave him a quick smile. Chandler watched as, carefully, she crept to the door and twisted the lock, sneakily peering out into the hall. She entered her own apartment equally as stealthily. He closed the door she had left open, his palms sweating and his stomach doing flip flops.

This was it.

In the end, either his dreams would come true, or be shattered. It was all or nothing.

He'd never been more scared in his life.

xx

Monica stopped in her tracks on the way to her bathroom, swearing she could hear voices coming from her roommate's bedroom. Who the hell would Rachel have in her room at 2:30 in the morning? When Rachel had disappeared hours earlier, in the midst of the party, everyone had been clueless as to where she had gone. Monica had checked her bestfriend's bedroom before she had retired to her own bed, but it had been empty.

Rachel was clearly back now, safe and sound, if the laughter-filled voices were any indication. Monica sighed with relief; she had been a little worried about her slightly reckless roommate. Now that she knew Rachel was fine, she couldn't help but wonder… Who was she talking to?

She crept up to Rachel's doorway, curious to know who she was stowing away in her room at such a late hour. A friend to talk to? A random hookup? The idea of her hooking up with anyone seemed ridiculous. She was still hung up on Ross. Right?

Feeling like a spying teenager needing to know the latest school gossip – was this how Rachel felt when she gossiped, Monica wondered? – she pressed her ear against the door, careful not to rattle the door or otherwise make her presence known.

She couldn't distinguish who it was by the muffled voice, but considering the low tone of voice, it was definitely a man.

So Rachel _had_ hooked up? Who would she have known from the party that she would have hooked up with? Most of the men at the party were friends of Ross and Emily. Certainly not guys who she would consider to be Rachel's type.

For a fraction of a second Monica wondered if it was Chandler, then dismissed the thought. Though Rachel had been awfully close with him, lately, she considered. Then again, based on the way Chandler had been acting when they danced together earlier in the evening, and the look on his face when he had caught her with Pete, Monica had suspicions that it was her that he was attracted to, not Rachel.

Through the entire course of her friendship with Chandler, really, there had been little proofs of that, here and there. Nothing substantial... just little hints. Miniscule things, really, that could easily be passed off as figments of the imagination. They were more than a little reciprocal, if Monica was honest with herself. There were times when she was sure she could feel something for him, too, if she let herself. But those minor feelings usually faded into the background before she could focus on them for too long or really evaluate what they meant, and she was left free to focus on whatever love interests life threw at her.

For some inexplicable reason, she had felt guilty for allowing Chandler to catch her kissing Pete. Guilty enough to send her boyfriend home after the party, even though he could have easily spent the night. Why she had, she wasn't quite sure. Pete was her boyfriend. She was certainly allowed to kiss him, or have him spend the night at her apartment, if she wanted.

Chandler was just a friend.

A close friend, but that was it. He had always been closer to her than to Rachel. Or so she had believed, until recently. Maybe all of those little moments that hinted to attraction between them weren't as special to her as she had thought. Maybe he did the exact same things with Rachel? The recent shift in his affections, or so it seemed, was unnerving. She had never been one to enjoy change. Stability was much more comforting. She was probably just worried about the state of their friendship, she decided. There was no use thinking about it, anyway. Rachel wouldn't sleep with Chandler.

Monica breathed a little sigh of relief at the inward conclusion she has reached, though she wasn't quite sure why, and allowed herself a small smile, focusing instead on how pleased she was that her roommate had apparently found someone to help her get over Ross. That's probably all it was… a rebound.

Not Chandler, a rebound. She turned back to the bathroom, her original reason for coming into the living room, the smile still present.

xx

Rachel yawned languidly as she stepped out of her bedroom the next morning, still in her pajamas. She was surprised to be greeted by several 'woohoos' from her friends, who were gathered around the kitchen table, waiting for Monica to serve them the pancakes she was currently in the process of cooking up.

Joey leaned over in his chair, looking past Rachel, attempting to peek into her bedroom, clearly searching for something. Her brow creased in confusion, Rachel subtly closed the door behind her, wondering how they all seemed to know about Chandler's presence in her room. What was going on?

The question was quickly answered when Monica spoke up, a large grin on her face, "I caught you with some guy last night, on my way to the bathroom," she explained. Rachel signed in relief at the explanation. Clearly Monica hadn't overheard anything that would compromise the plan. She just thought it was 'some guy.'

Joey, who had entered just before Rachel had, and hadn't got the whole story, grinned, a dirty smile overcoming his face. "You actually caught them? What was that like?" he wondered, causing Monica to elbow him.

"I didn't catch them having sex!" Monica snipped, "I caught them talking and cuddling in bed."

Joey's monstrous grin faded, "What's so newsworthy about that?" he questioned sourly; he had been expecting much juicier details.

"It's sweet!" Monica defended Rachel's faceless hookup, "Some guys actually like to talk to the women they date, you know!"

"Look guys," Rachel interrupted the brewing fight, "As much as I appreciate your concern, I really don't think he's ready to meet you yet," she explained, fighting to keep her smile down, knowing her friends would never agree to leave when they were so close to learning what they undoubtedly deemed gossip of the year: learning who Rachel was finally getting over Ross with.

"Hell no," Phoebe exclaimed, "You have got to be kidding me! Leave now? We're not moving until we meet Mr. Boy Toy." The others nodded vigorously in agreement. Only Ross seemed a little uneasy at meeting Rachel's latest boyfriend.

"Seriously guys," she pleaded, pretending to resist, "If you care about me at all-"

She was interrupted by Joey who snapped his fingers, "I bet it's Paolo!"

Phoebe nodded, "Yeah! That would explain why she didn't want us to see him! Or it could be Barry!"

"Paolo? Barry?" Monica wrinkled her nose, looking up at her bestfriend. Seeing her expression, she shook her head, "No, definitely not either of them. I bet it's Joshua, that guy she had a crush on at work."

"You guys," Ross, who had been quiet up until this point, tried to interrupt for Rachel's sake, "Don't you think we should give her some privacy if she wants it?"

Joey scoffed at the suggestion. "Are you crazy, Ross?" He then turned to address Rachel, "C'mon, we're all dying, here, you can't let us down, now."

Rachel sighed and pretended to give in, "Okay," she conceded, "Don't say I didn't warn you. Just… please don't freak out on him, okay?" she asked, twisting the doorknob behind her to open the door a little. Joey nearly fell out of his chair, as he leaned over, trying to catch a glimpse of the guy.

Eagerly, they all nodded, so Rachel disappeared into her room, emerging again holding Chandler's hand tightly, their knuckles white in their nervousness. He smiled self-consciously at them all, "Sorry I didn't come over earlier, today," he apologized sheepishly to fill the silence, knowing they had probably wondered where he was, "I was– " he side-eyed Rachel, "I was, well, you know now." He smiled sheepishly again.

Rachel looked at her friends – who were all staring wide-eyed and slack-jawed at the new couple – imploring them to say something. When she got no response, she tried asking outright, "Guys? I know this probably isn't what you expected, but…" she trailed off, not sure what to finish that sentence with.

Ross just made a weird, disbelieving sound and stared, still in a state of shock.

"It _was_ Chandler?" Monica managed to gasp out, her voice strangled.

Chandler nodded, and waved, "Yep, it's me. Hi, Mon," he said almost cheerfully. She swallowed hard, but managed a choked 'hi' in response.

Some of the shock having worn off, Phoebe commented, "It was so obviously Chandler! I mean, hello, since when does Chandler pass up free breakfast? Why didn't we figure this out earlier?"

Joey nodded, and looked at his bestfriend, whispering conspiratorially, "Dude! What happened man? Last thing I know you're getting totally wasted at the party, and now you're with Rachel? How in the hell did you manage to score Rachel? First Ross, now you! I've been trying for years and nothing!"

"Joey!" Rachel snapped, "We really care about one another, okay? This isn't just a fling. Yes, it just kind of happened, but we realized that we may have something worth giving a shot at."

"Geez," Joey complained, irritated, "What's your problem? Didn't Chandler do it right?" he snipped.

All three girls rolled their eyes, and Rachel whacked Joey in the back of the head for his insensitive and inappropriate comment. "Don't you know anything about women?"

"Yeah! They're mean!" he complained, rubbing the spot where Rachel had hit him.

Finally shifting out of his seemingly catatonic state, Ross spoke up, "So you guys are what? A couple now?"

"Yes," Rachel said defiantly, "We are. If you have a problem with that, you are going to–"

Ross cut her off, impatiently, sounding a little skeptical, "Do you really have feelings for him, Rachel? Or is this just some stunt because you're lonely and he's easy access?"

Rachel stewed, "Who do you think you are? You don't own me! I don't need your permission to date anyone, whether I have feelings for them or not! But, yes, I really do care about Chandler, not that it's any of your concern. This has been building for a while now. I'm sorry you're too self-centered to have noticed."

"I'm sorry, Rach," Ross apologized meekly, "I just don't want you to get hurt. I care about you, alright, and you know how Chandler can be with relationships… I'm just looking out for you."

"Gee," Chandler muttered sarcastically, "Thanks for the vote of confidence, I really appreciate it."

"Dude," Ross turned to Chandler, "I care about you too, man. I want what's best for both of you. If you say you're happy, I'll believe you."

"We are," Rachel asserted, speaking for both herself and Chandler, wrapping an arm around his waist as if to confirm her words. Without really thinking about what she was doing, she pulled him down, by his neck, kissing him lightly, furthering the act. She knew until they saw it, none of her friends would truly believe it.

Monica pursed her lips and looked past the couple, while the others stared at them, open-mouthed, not expecting to see them be so affectionate in public, especially after Rachel's earlier shy act.

Rachel was shocked by how natural the kiss felt. The whole charade had been easy, so far. Almost too easy. She was surprised by how indignant Ross' simple comment questioning her 'relationship' made her, as if she had really been dating Chandler and was not merely pretending to.

No one quite knew what to say after the kissing display. Phoebe spoke first after a rather long silence. "Just so you know, we are happy for you guys. I think I speak for us all when I say we're just a little surprised to see you in a relationship together. I mean, we all noticed that you two have been close recently, but we thought it was a friend thing."

"It was," Chandler agreed quietly, "It was only a couple days ago we realized it might be more." He could see they were clearly debating about whether or not to ask what exactly had happened. No one did.

Figuring if they didn't ask, he wouldn't answer, Chandler sat down at the table, helping himself to a couple of the pancakes Monica had just set on it. Rachel made herself comfortable in his lap, figuring it couldn't hurt. Chandler seemed a little surprised by the action at first, but quickly accepted it, and even got into the act himself, graciously offering to pour her some coffee, and prepare her a plate. The others all watched in silence as the couple interacted.

Finally Rachel looked up, "You guys can talk, you know. You're going to have to get used to it eventually."

"But it's you and Chandler!" Joey whined. When Rachel looked at him blankly, he repeated, meaningfully, "It's _you_ and _Chandler_!" as if the emphasized words made the statement more clear.

Chandler rolled his eyes at his bestfriend's antics and turned to face Monica who had settled in the seat to his right, to eat herself, now that she had finished cooking. He smiled at her, and asked, "Can you pass me the sugar, Mon? You know how Rachel likes sugar in her coffee," he explained. He had learned this little tidbit during their many lunchtime meetings. Rachel always ordered her coffee with sugar. Who knew knowing that would come in handy?

Monica nodded shortly and snatched the sugar from it's place in front of Joey, who was currently in the process of scooping some on to his grapefruit slices. The movement caused him to spill several granules on the table. Uncharacteristically, Monica seemed unaware of the mess. Smiling sweetly, she plonked the sugar bowl down loudly in front of Chandler, "Here you are," she said equally sweetly.

"Hey!" Joey exclaimed, whining, "I was using that!"

"Oops," Monica said shortly, clearly not all that apologetic, "Would you like it back?"

Joey shook his head at her, frowning, "That's okay," he passed her the spoon, "You can give this to Chandler, though, so he can use it."

Chandler put out his hand expectantly. Monica immediately slapped the spoon into it, with a little more force than necessary.

"Ow. Geez, Mon," he snipped, "What's your problem?" Monica just grunted in response.

Rachel wrapped an arm around Chandler's neck, "Don't worry about it, sweetie," she assured him, "It's that special time of month for her."

Monica glared at her friend and snapped, "Very funny. I see Chandler brings out the best in you."

"Geez, Mon," Rachel said soothingly, "I was just kidding, relax. Let's all enjoy breakfast, okay? These pancakes are great."

"Thanks," Monica said quietly. She took a deep breath and focused on eating her own breakfast, avoiding looking at Rachel or Chandler. All the others, however, seemed to look at nothing else. After a while Joey seemed to lose interest in his friends, instead focused on counting how many pancakes he could consume in one sitting. Phoebe and Ross, however, continued to stare.

Rachel sighed and focused her attention on them. "You guys are going to get used to this eventually, aren't you? And you know, maybe even talk to us again?"

"Sorry, hun. You guys are just so freaking cute," Phoebe apologized, making it clear her staring wasn't for resentful reasons, "I can't believe I totally missed this! I'm the psychic one. I usually know these things in advance."

Chandler kissed Rachel's cheek affectionately and leaned over her plate to cut her pancakes for her, "We are pretty cute," he agreed. Rachel nodded in silent agreement.

They really were. Just a little too much. She had expected that she would have to force herself to pretend to be the slightest bit attracted to Chandler, but she had to admit, if this was the way he treated all his girlfriends, he was more of a catch than she, or probably any of the other girls had given him credit for. Monica's taste in men might not be so horrible, after all.

Ross smiled at them, too. "If this is real, I'm happy for you. And you know Emily will be too," he smiled at the mention of his fiancé, "She's been worried about your place in my life, because of our history. I've tried to convince her we're friends, now, but she worries, anyway."

Rachel forced herself not to roll her eyes. Monica seemed to be taking the bait, if her snappy responses were any indication. So why the hell was Ross mentioning stupid Emily and being 'happy' for them?

He was probably just in denial and was using Emily as a distraction. Right? The plan would work, it had to.

xx

_I'm not very happy with the state of this chapter. I've read through it probably half a dozen times and the more I try fix it, the more muddled it seems to become. Since it's just not getting any better, I've decided that this is, take it or leave it. Hopefully you all enjoy it nonetheless :P_

_I've got about a month until end of term, so it's really crunch time for me right now, and I'm not sure when (or if) I'll be updating next week, though I'll certainly try. God knows I'd rather write fanfics (even if they turn out like crap) than write term papers._

_Anyway, as always, thanks for reading and please review and give me some much-needed inspiration :)_


	5. Chapter 5

**Everything You Want – Chapter Five**

xx

Ross smiled awkwardly at Chandler and Rachel, as Phoebe exited the apartment to meet a massage client, leaving him alone with the couple. She smiled sympathetically at him as she moved toward the door, her eyes clearly saying how sorry she was to leave him in such an uncomfortable situation.

He knew all of his friends were shocked, and more than a little perturbed by how easily he was accepting Chandler and Rachel's relationship. It didn't seem possible. Hell, he had surprised himself with how 'okay' he was at the thought of them as a couple.

Sure, he wasn't jumping for joy at Rachel hooking up with his bestfriend, of all people. As first it had been weird to see them together, but as breakfast had progressed, and he watched them interact, the more he realized it didn't hurt as much to watch her move on as he had always thought it would.

The more he thought about it, the more Ross realized that he was more worried that Chandler would hurt her than anything else. Stubborn as he was when it came to admitting his infidelity, he knew he had little room to pass judgement on anyone else potentially hurting Rachel. He had hurt Rachel as badly as anyone probably ever could, so he had kept the worst of his thoughts to himself.

His relationship with Rachel had been extremely important to him, and she would always be a huge part of his life. He would love her forever , but he had come to realize that that didn't mean he had to be _in_ love with her. After their breakup, he had been doubtful he would ever get over her. She was for all intents and purposes the love of his life. He had loathed watching her unsuccessfully chase after Joshua. Moving on hadn't seemed like an option, at the time. Then....

He had met Emily and everything had changed.

Suddenly, the thought of Rachel moving on with her life, too, hadn't seemed so horrifying. He really did want her to be happy. And God forbid, if Chandler made her happy, he was on board. Despite his doubts concerning his bestfriend's previous relationships, he trusted Chandler as much as he trusted anyone. He had no right to protest anyway, with someone as great as Emily by his side.

Ross knew in spite of their whirlwind courtship and his friends' collective doubts that he really did love Emily. She was beautiful and amazing and as perfect for him as Rachel had ever been. As their relationship progressed, he had realized Rachel's importance in his life was fading to the background. It was Emily he first thought of when he woke up, it was Emily he wanted to see every morning for the rest of his life.

He was in love with Emily. He was happy with her. There was no point in ruining something that was working so well for the mere hope of something being rekindled with Rachel. He'd ruined a relationship for Rachel's sake, once, when he was with Julie. He wasn't going to down that road again. He wasn't going to put his heart on the line for 'maybe,' when he had someone he loved, something solid and sure with Emily.

She was his future. Rachel was his past. That was all there was to it.

"Dude," Chandler asked, startling Ross out of his thoughts, "Are you okay?" he wondered, concerned, "Rach and I, we're sorry, you know. We know that this," he gestured between them, "must have come at you out of the blue, and the last thing we want to do is hurt you." Rachel nodded in agreement, half-smiling at him, consolingly.

To their surprise, Ross smiled back genuinely, admitting, "Yeah, at first it was weird, the thought of you two together, especially since Chandler is my bestfriend, but I realized something. I love Emily. Somehow that makes the thought of you two seem less… I don't know? Painful, maybe?"

Rachel frowned, her heart aching at the sentiment. That was not the response she was hoping for. "Yeah, I- I think I understand what you mean," she responded, quietly, faltering, as she forced her tears down, "Uh, I mean, yeah, that's how I feel now, with um, Chandler."

Chandler glanced at Rachel, fully aware of how much Ross' words had unintentionally hurt her, even though she was trying to hide it. In an attempt to get his best friend to protest, Chandler looked Ross straight on, his expression oozing synthetic remorse, "I also just wanted to say that I'm sorry I broke the rule, man. An-and, if you wanted us to end this, right here, right now, we would. I had no right to do that, especially knowing how much she means to you. After we first kissed," he said the word carefully, hoping the unwanted image would get Ross to show some outward emotion. None came. "Our first thought was of you, and how you would feel. We were so worried about you, and we still are," he admitted, "Just say the word and–"

"Chandler," Ross interrupted, "I know what you're saying. And you don't have to, okay? I'm fine with this. Really. I have Emily, who I love. If you guys are happy together, I'm happy for you. Okay?"

Chandler smiled awkwardly, not sure what to do with that. "Okay," he said eventually, "Thanks, man."

Ross smiled, "Okay, I should probably get to work… I've got a presentation at ten I need to prepare for. But, we can finish this conversation later, okay? I don't want there to be any misunderstandings between us. I love you both, and your friendships mean a lot to me. No matter who either of you date, that won't change."

Rachel smiled, touched, "That's really sweet, Ross," she said, reaching to hug him. He smiled wryly, a twinge of regret shooting through him at the feel of Rachel enveloped in his arms. Letting her go, he turned to leave, and shut the door softly behind him, stopping only to promise the couple he would see them later.

Chandler turned to Rachel once Ross was gone, his eyes wide, "Wow, that was intense!"

"Yeah," Rachel muttered, sadly.

"Hey," he comforted her, "How are you holding up? All that stuff Ross said, about being able to move on…"

"I'm doing okay… fine," she said distractedly, pacing around the perimeter of the table, "Is it me? Monica was acting jealous as hell. Did you see how she acted when you asked her to pass the sugar? You guys have no history! I actually dated Ross, but what does he do? Nothing!"

Unsure what else to do to make her feel better, Chandler hugged her tightly, feeling several hot tears drip onto his shirt. "Ross is an idiot, okay?" he claimed, once her tears seemed to subside a little, "Anyone who doesn't see how amazing and wonderful you are is an idiot. He just doesn't realize how much he needs you, yet. He's confused, okay?" He smiled at her hopefully, knowing full well his words might be empty, but wanting to say something to make her feel better.

He knew it was awful to think about when Rachel was miserable, he couldn't help but be thrilled that Monica seemed to be objecting to his 'relationship' with Rachel. For the first time, during the span of his years-long crush on Monica, he allowed himself to feel a little hopeful.

xx

"Come on, Rach!" Phoebe pleaded, a few days later. At Phoebe's insistence they were holding a girls' night, in order to collect all the juicy details about Rachel's new relationship. Monica had resisted, but in the end Phoebe's will was stronger. "It's Chandler! You've got to give us something! 'He's sweet' so does not cut it!"

"Pheebs!" Rachel protested feebly, "Come on, don't I get to keep some things private between me and Chandler?"

"No! Come on, Mon," Phoebe insisted, looking at her friend for support, "Back me up, here!"

Monica looked down at her crossed legs, shifting uncomfortably on the throw pillow she was sitting on and avoided the question, "If Rachel doesn't want to talk about Chandler, we shouldn't make her."

"Monica Fallula Geller!" Phoebe exclaimed, "I'm shocked at you! You excel at making people do things they don't want to do! Remember when you made Joey clean the boys' bathroom because it was so dirty? You nearly made him cry!" Rachel couldn't help but giggle at the memory.

A ghost of a smile flitted over Monica's face, too, but quickly disappeared. "Whatever," she snipped, irritated by Phoebe's insistence, "Maybe I just don't want to hear Rachel babble on about Chandler, did you ever think about that? Maybe I've already reached my 'Oh, Chandler is the best boyfriend ever' capacity for the week, alright?"

Phoebe smirked, "Yeah, right, like I'm going to believe that! Rachel had barely said two words about him since we've found out about them! Geez, I mean, she won't even tell us about their first kiss! If it were any other guy we'd know his measurements by now!"

Monica glared at her, "Why does everything always have to be about Rachel?! Maybe I have something interesting to share! I have a boyfriend too! Remember Pete?!"

"Oh come on!" Phoebe scoffed, "She's dating Chandler! Chandler, as in our friend Chandler! Don't tell me you aren't curious! It was you who said you'd rather sleep with him than Joey!"

"Phoebe!" Monica exclaimed loudly, embarrassed to be reminded of that fact in front of Rachel, even though Rachel had been there when she had originally said it during a similar girls' night, years ago.

"Oh!" Phoebe exclaimed, venturing a guess that hit a little too close to home for Monica's liking, "I see what this is about! Someone's jealous that Rachel's the one who got to check out Chandler and find out about, all his little, y'know, Chandlerisms!"

The suggestion she was jealous only made Monica more resistant and she scoffed loudly, "He wishes!"

"Okay, okay," Rachel interrupted, seeing that the tension between her two best friends was soaring, as they continued to stare one another down. She had expected that by avoiding talking about Chandler, her friends would be more curious, and that Monica would stew a little, in silence. She hadn't expected so a violent a response from her bestfriend that even Phoebe would notice she was acting oddly.

Monica was really more of a sulking type, like her brother, Rachel thought wryly. She definitely hadn't anticipated that her tight-lipped act would lead to a fist fight, an option that was looking more and more likely as the seconds ticked by.

Figuring the best course of action was to intervene and offer to spill before things got more out of hand, Rachel conceded, "Let's talk. What do you guys want to know?"

Immediately forgetting her anger at Monica, Phoebe exclaimed, "Finally." Monica huffed, put out that her friend had won. Phoebe grinned widely and demanded, "So?! Tell us how it happened!"

Trying to recall Chandler's story from the day they had agreed on the details of their 'relationship,' Rachel began shyly, "Well, it all started with a kiss. We were watching Jerry Maguire, huddled under this one little blanket together. We were getting to the romantic part of the movie, and I was starting to tear up and Chandler was being really sweet. He squeezed my hand, and we just kind of were drawn to one another's eyes. I swear, his eyes seemed a little more blue than usual… he's got the best eyes. Without really thinking about it, we just kind of ended up kissing. It felt… so normal; so right. Not like something we shouldn't be doing, at all. I wasn't thinking about Ross, or anything else… it was just him and me." She finished softly, smiling at her friends. They too were smiling, totally unaware it was all a fabrication.

"That's so sweet," Phoebe grinned.

Even Monica, who had been resistant to hearing the story in the first place, was looking a little touched, and admitted grudgingly, "Chandler does have the most beautiful eyes."

"Yeah," Rachel agreed, trying to make her voice sound as dreamy as possible, "He's got amazing eyes. I love that they're sometimes blue, sometimes green, sometimes in between. They're his best feature," she gushed, finding that she really didn't disagree with what she was saying.

"Really? You think that's his best feature?" Phoebe asked, with a smirk, "'Cause I think he's got a pretty cute ass."

Rachel smirked, "Ditto."

They both looked at Monica expectantly, wondering her opinion. She flushed, her anger now gone. "Yeah, okay," she admitted finally, "Chandler's got a cute ass, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Hell yeah," Phoebe laughed, her previous irritation with Monica long since forgotten, "Loosen up, Mon! This is supposed to be fun! Maybe we need to get you a little more drunk!"

Monica's shoulders drooped and she looked apologetically at her friends, "I know, I – I'm sorry. I guess I'm just a little tired. I'm sorry I was being a bitch. I just haven't been feeling well lately… and with the shock of everything that's happened lately, this thing with Rachel and Chandler was just one more thing, and it took me by surprise," she explained, "I just didn't handle it well." Phoebe and Rachel both knew how hard it must be for her to do. Admitting she was wrong was almost as bad as losing in Monica's eyes.

Rachel nudged her friend, "Hey, it's okay. Don't worry about it, hon, We know you don't mean to snap at us. If you ever need to talk about something, we're here for you, okay?"

Phoebe nodded. "Yeah, totally. Bottling stuff up is bad for your aura. Actually, it's a little murky now," she said, wrinkling her nose, and staring at the air above Monica's head, "You want me to clean it for you?"

"No, that's okay, Pheebs," Monica smiled at the quirky offer, "Thanks though. Look, we're supposed to be having fun. So… let's have fun."

Phoebe nodded, and crossed her legs Indian style, eager to learn more about 'boyfriend' Chandler. They already knew most of the important details on Ross, thanks to many stories from Rachel over the past couple of years. Joey was an open book when it came to dating, so they knew most everything they needed to know about him, too. Chandler was a little more of an enigma. "So," Phoebe recapped, "now we know how it happened… but what we still don't know is what it was like! Was he romantic? Sweet? Passionate?"

Clearly attempting to be more supportive to make up for her earlier outburst, Monica nodded along to the question. If there was any resentment in her expression, she managed to mask it well.

Rachel glanced at Monica feeling slightly guilty, knowing that she was probably just twisting the knife deeper the more they talked about Chandler. If only the damn Gellers weren't so stubborn and actually admitted to themselves their feelings. There would be no need for playing this cruel game. Well at least Monica was better than Ross, she considered. Putting on a dreamy smile, Rachel pretended to stare off into space, "It was so different than what I'm used to," she explained, thinking to herself of the kiss that they had faked at breakfast a few days prior, as inspiration to adequately describe a jealousy-inducing kiss, "I don't think we were really expecting it, so we were both kind of shy at first, really gentle, but it grew from there. We kind of just melted into one another, and got more into it. It was a great kiss."

Phoebe smirked, "I know it's just Chandler," she said, "But I'm actually a little jealous."

"Trust me," Rachel smiled, "It's not 'just Chandler,' there's a lot more there than you think. That kiss was the tip of iceberg."

Phoebe scoffed, "I wish someone would kiss me like that… I haven't had that kind of passion since David. What about you, Mon? How's Pete measure up on the kissing scale?"

"I – oh, I don't know," she faltered, then flushed, "Pete's a great boyfriend, he's really sweet, and I like him a lot… But he's not one of those types. Kissing isn't really his strong suit."

"What?" Phoebe probed, "What are you with him for? I know you, Monica Geller, and you value romance above anything."

"Because he's someone who cares about me," Monica said quietly looking down at her lap, "And I care about him. What does that kind of raw passion really matter in the long run, anyway? Anyone I've ever felt passionately about has been totally wrong for me. Richard, Bobby and Ethan," she refrained from adding Chandler to the list, though the thought flickered briefly, "I really felt a connection to all of them, and look how that turned out. Crash and burn. Pete is perfect for me, and he's secure. My Mom's right, if I don't stop being so picky, I'll never get married."

"Mon!" Rachel said shocked, and worried for her friend, "How come you've never mentioned this before?"

Monica shrugged. "No one ever asked."

"Look," Phoebe interjected, "You aren't telling us you're only with Pete because your Mom told you that you'll never get married, are you? Because if you are… I'm going to have to beat on you a little bit."

"No!" Monica insisted, "That's not what I'm saying. I'm just saying Pete isn't the most passionate guy out there, and I'm okay with that." Phoebe and Rachel both looked at her skeptically, causing Monica to shoot them a look, "I'm serious. I - I love Pete, okay?"

"That's the first time I've ever heard you say that, you know," Phoebe said quietly.

"Heard me say what?" Monica asked, though she knew very well what Phoebe was talking about.

"That you love Pete," Phoebe explained, "You do love him, right?"

"Of course I do," Monica claimed, "You two are drawing this totally out of proportion. Can we drop this, please?"

The other girls nodded, not sure what else to say. In an effort to move away from the uncomfortable subject, Phoebe began relating a story about a guy she had met at the coffeehouse the day before.

xx

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Rach?" Chandler wondered, nervously. They were waiting in the hallway between their apartments for Ross and Monica to arrive home from their parents' home.

"Yes, I'm sure!" Rachel insisted, "Come on, you knew this was in the contract, when we started this relationship!"

"Really," Chandler said dryly, "I don't recall signing a contract."

"Smartass," Rachel griped, causing Chandler to grin. "Look," she said, "we've got to bring out the big guns now. Ross is still totally in denial, and Monica isn't much better. She's still claiming that she loves Pete, though we both know that isn't true," she frowned, "But at least we're getting somewhere with her. If nothing else, will you do this for me, please? I want to see Ross cringe just a _little_ bit, so I know I'm not chasing a hopeless dream, here."

Chandler smiled at her a little. "Okay. For you," he paused, unable to stop himself from adding, "But only because you said please."

Rachel grinned, even as she rolled her eyes. "Thank you."

Chandler smiled back, fully this time. "I don't think kissing you will be too much of a chore, Rach."

"Shhh," Rachel hissed, "I think I hear them coming."

Sure enough, the distinct sound of footsteps was heard echoing up the stairwell.

Without further explanation, Chandler found himself pushed up against the wall next to his apartment door, Rachel's lips firmly pressed against his. By the time that Ross and Monica made an appearance at the top of the stairway, Rachel and Chandler had both become wrapped up enough in their act to be legitimately startled by the siblings' presence.

"Oh my God!" Ross cried out in surprise at seeing his bestfriend and his ex-girlfriend making out in the hallway, "What the hell, guys?" he asked, blushing furiously, "You _do_ know that both of you have apartments and that either one of them is approximately three feet away, right?"

Rachel grinned at his obvious flustered state, for the first time since she and Chandler had put their plan into action she felt like she was genuinely affecting Ross. "We know. We were just saying goodnight."

"Looked like more than 'saying goodnight' to me," Monica muttered, as flustered as her brother.

Chandler and Rachel both looked down, pretending to be embarrassed, and in truth, the situation was, so they found they didn't have to act much. "I wanted to give Rachel a kiss goodnight, too," Chandler explained embarrassedly, for both of them.

"Yeah!" Ross said, making a face, "We saw that. Saw a little _too much_ of that."

"Sorry," Rachel apologized insincerely, "We weren't expecting to see anyone in the hallway."

"Yes," Monica drawled, sarcastically, "because no one ever goes in the hallway."

"Geez, Mon," Rachel said feigning indifference, "What's the big deal? I've seen you kiss Pete goodnight, before."

"Not like that you haven't," she mumbled under her breath, adding aloud, "No big deal. Come on Ross," she insisted, wanting to put distance between herself and the awkward situation. Ross followed his sister obediently, shooting one last bewildered look at his friends, before allowing Monica to drag him into her apartment.

Once they were gone, Rachel turned to Chandler, a broad grin on her face. "That was one hell of a kiss, Bing."

xx

_Thanks for reading :)_

_I'm quite pleased with this chapter. Honestly, it's the only one of this series I've truly liked, so far, so I really hope all of you enjoy it, too._

_Unfortunately, this hasn't been betaed because my betareader has gone AWOL. I have no idea when or if she'll be back, though I certainly hope so. Anyway, I apologize for any unnecessary mistakes._

_And please don't forget to review! It makes me happy when I'm surrounded by a few dozen textbooks and makes me want to close them and write this instead :)_


	6. Chapter 6

**Everything You Want – Chapter Six**

xx

Rachel stabbed her fork into the salad, viciously, as soon as the waiter placed it in front of her. "I just don't understand!" she moaned to Chandler, during one of their lunchtime meetings, "How can he just be so 'okay' with everything? And does he have to tell me that ten hundred million thousand times?! I just want to tell him to shut up. And then punch him," she paused a beat, and added with a grunt, "And Emily. Why do I still have to care about him? It would be so much easier if I just hated him. I should hate him! He cheated on me! _On_ our anniversary! If that isn't grounds for hate, I don't know what is."

Chandler half-smiled at her sympathetically from across the booth they were seated in, "Love isn't so easy to turn off," he said seriously, "But," he claimed, " I know one thing. You're not going to end up alone. Even if Ross doesn't end up being your 'one,' you _will_ find someone, I know that much."

Rachel smiled at his sincerity. "When you're being serious, you're not half bad, at the whole, ya'know, comforting thing," she stated.

Chandler couldn't help but smile back, pleased her bad mood seemed to be evaporating, "I know. Just don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Deal," Rachel promised, "Thanks for listening to me rant. I know I'm probably not the most fun lunch buddy. Hell, I'm sick of my own whining."

Chandler smirked, "Well clearly you've never had lunch with Janice. Trust me, this is a walk in the park."

"Thanks," Rachel paused, tilting her head, "I think."

"So," Chandler changed the subject, "What's our game plan for the next few days?"

"If it's okay with you I kinda wanted to focus on breaking Ross," Rachel suggested, "Monica's walls are already coming tumbling down. We're making some progress there, whereas _nothing_ with Ross, and we want to try and balance it so they're both ready for us to 'break up' at the same time, right?"

"Right," Chandler agreed, secretly pleased that Rachel thought Monica was responding to their relationship out of jealousy. It was a little confidence boost. "What did you have in mind, exactly?"

"Well," Rachel smiled slyly, "Think you can swing a guys night with Ross?"

Chandler smirked. "Rach, I really don't think us sitting around watching porn and drinking beer is going to help you in any way."

Rachel wrinkled her nose in disgust, "Is that all guys do when they get together? Don't you ever talk? How do you find out things about one another?"

Chandler shrugged, "We don't really need to plan a whole night for that. You ask a guy 'Dude, how was your date last night,' and he tells you. Or even better, pass him an index card with checkable boxes during TV commercials. You don't need to book an appointment."

"Well that's just sad," Rachel commented, "Guys make me sad."

Chandler shrugged again. "Just because you're the gossip monger of the east village doesn't mean we're sad. As a guy I am perfectly content with our system, thank you very much."

"Well that makes me sad, too," Rachel claimed, spearing another bite of her salad, "Come on, in these past few weeks with me, you must have learned that sharing can be fun! We share almost everything, now!"

"But you're a girl," Chandler complained, "Not shutting up comes easily to you. I don't have to do any work to get you to talk, and when you do, I just nod along. With a guy it'd be like trying to pry a mop out of Monica's hands. It just isn't going to happen."

"Okay," Rachel rolled her eyes, "First, thanks for that. Second, so not the point. The point is you're going to talk to Ross, one way or another. I don't care if you have to sit on the TV and wave your hands like a maniac to get him to pay attention to you."

"Okay, okay," Chandler relented, "I'll corner him after work, or something."

xx

"Hey man," Chandler greeted his bestfriend, when Ross opened the door to his apartment. He waved the six pack of beer that he was carrying and explained, "I was thinking that since Rach and I got together you and I needed to sit down and just talk it out, reaffirm our friendship and all. "

Ross smiled wryly, clearly a little amused by the un-Chandler-like suggestion, "Yeah, sure, dude. Rachel put you up to this?"

"No!" Chandler exclaimed a little too defensively, causing Ross to look at him with an even bigger smirk than before. "Okay, fine, she did," he admitted, seeing his friend's knowing look. It wasn't exactly a lie anyway... "But, for the record, I care, too."

Ross smirked, "Well, since it means so much to you, come on in," he said, with a hint of sarcasm, inviting his friend into the living area of the apartment.

Chandler patted the case he was holding, "Don't worry, after a few of these bad boys, we'll hardly remember Rachel's forcing us to spend quality time together."

Ross laughed. "Good plan," he agreed, as he ushered Chandler towards the comfortable brown leather couch in his living room. Both men sat down awkwardly, staring at the blank TV screen.

Unsure how to start, Chandler passed Ross one of the beers he had brought, and picked at the label of his own. Perhaps if they were both a little buzzed, they would loosen up and this wouldn't be so painfully awkward. "So…" he ventured, eventually, "How are things going with Emily?" 'Yeah, way to go, Chandler,' he chided himself, sarcastically, at the poor attempt at starting a discussion, 'That's spinning the conversation in the right direction. Rachel wants you to talk about _her_… so you mention the _other_ woman. Smart.'

"Um, pretty good, actually," Ross nodded, "Em's really getting excited about the wedding. She's picked out a wedding dress and everything. I can't believe it… in a few weeks I'm going to be married! Married!"

"Yeah, I know, huh? It's, uh, great being in love, isn't it?" Chandler returned, hinting towards his 'relationship' with Rachel.

Ross either entirely missed the allusion or didn't care. "Yeah, it really is," he smiled, his expression a little faraway. "So, um, how are you and Rachel working out… now that you've been 'out' for a week now?"

Chandler smiled, relieved that the conversation seemed to be heading back in the proper direction; the direction Rachel had asked him to take it. Strangely, Ross was doing all the questioning. Chandler knew enough to know that this was not a good sign. He knew Rachel's feelings were going to be hurt, and he dreaded being the one to tell her. "We're doing good. Great actually," he nodded, "Rachel's having the best time sharing all the gossipy details with the girls. I think that's why she wanted us to do this."

"Yeah," Ross laughed, "I remember, we went through that stage, too, where Rachel told Monica and Phoebe everything. And I mean everything. You should watch out, dude, she could destroy your reputation with women everywhere."

Chandler smirked and shrugged, "Doesn't have all that far down to go, my friend," He smirked seeing an opportunity to spark Ross' jealousy, "Besides, from what Phoebe's hinted at Rachel sharing, there's been no shortfall of comparisons, and I'm gettin' pretty good reviews."

To Chandler's surprise, Ross actually laughed aloud, "Yeah, can you imagine? I wonder what Rachel has to say comparing the two of us? You know, actually, let's not go there. That's weird. Really weird."

"Well, um," Chandler stuttered eventually, cursing himself inside his head for his lack of courage, "we actually haven't, um, you know, yet." He grimaced. "We've done pretty much everything but the main event," he added quickly, seeing the disbelieving look on Ross' face. God he was just digging himself a hole. Why had he said they hadn't had sex in the first place?! "And don't get me wrong it's all been great, she's been great. She's so sexy and just… an amazing woman. I don't know how you let her get away, man," he said, shaking his head at Ross. Now that he had started, he just couldn't seem to shut up, "But… I think she's worried about the finality of crossing that last boundary. Like there's no going back to friendship from there, you know? We'll be an official couple." Great. Just greeeat. Instead of making Ross jealous, he was casting doubt on his 'relationship' with Rachel. Rachel was going to be so proud of his progress.

"Uh, really?" Ross asked surprised, "Seriously? You – You mean, you actually…?" He looked at Chandler wide-eyed, "Was not expecting that! When you came out of her room that morning at breakfast I assumed…"

Chandler looked down at the floor self-consciously, half-wondering if the beer he'd consumed was already making it's way through his system, making him more idiotic than usual. Might as well try to make the best of it now… "Yeah, look, don't take this the wrong way, man…" he said, expecting he knew exactly how Ross would respond, "but I think, secretly, a little tiny part of her is hoping that you'll ride in on your white horse and sweep her off her feet, you know?"

"Re-really?" Ross choked on his beer, "You can't be serious! You guys seemed so happy together. Yeah, okay, I've known about you guys, what? A week? But you just seemed so…"

"Yeah, don't get me wrong, we have an awesome time together, and our feelings are growing for sure. We genuinely care about one another and we've got all this passion and sexual tension that's building up. It's getting to the point where sex won't be an issue," he said boldly, pleased he seemed to be recovering from his glaring blunder with relative ease, "But for the time being, she's in transition. She's getting used to me, and getting used to not being with you. A part of her still wants you, and probably always will."

"I had no idea!" Ross said, flabbergasted, "I- I'm with Emily now, I – I – Rachel's in the past for me, now."

"Calm down," Chandler soothed, "I just thought you should know, before feelings get totally invested, and vows get said, there's some leeway, okay? You still have a shot with Rachel. This thing with her and me… it's mostly physical chemistry at the moment. Part of her wants you, and I know part of you wants her, too. You pined for her for nine years, Ross, I lived with you for four of them during college! Don't tell me you got over that so easily. I'm not trying to impede here," he lied, knowing that's exactly what he was doing, "I just don't want to set myself up for another heartbreak. If you two are going to end up together, in the end, I'm not standing in the middle."

Even the explicit claim that Rachel still loved him did nothing to sway Ross's devotion to Emily. "I - I don't know what to say, man. Look, I'm getting married in three weeks! Of course I'm over Rachel," he insisted, convincingly. Too convincingly not to be serious. He was serious. He had to be.

"Well, okay then," Chandler said, pasting on a false smile, "Good to know."

All he could think, however, was one thought:

Oh crap.

xx

Since Chandler was hanging out with Ross for the evening, Rachel decided she might as well spend the night with Monica. It wasn't all that difficult to convince her to spend the night in doing girly things and painting one another's nails. They hadn't had a proper girls' makeover night in months.

Both girls were sitting on the couch, their feet propped up on the coffee table, diligently painting their toenails various shades of pink, when Phoebe burst into the apartment, a wide grin on her face.

"You guys," the bubbly blonde exclaimed, in her excitement neglecting to notice that her friends were busy mid-polish, "You'll never guess what just happened!" Monica and Rachel both paused mid-task, and looked up at her expectantly. When neither answered, Phoebe griped, "Guess!"

Rachel screwed the cap on the bottle of polish she was holding, as she thought up an answer, "Um… you won the lottery?"

"No."

"You got a new job?" Monica tried, gamely.

"No."

"You found that aromatherapy candle that you've been looking for, that was discontinued?" Monica wondered, the pitch of her voice rising as she got into the spirit of the 'game,' and was overcome with a need to 'win' it.

"No."

"Okay!" Rachel interrupted, "I'm sensing this could be a long game! What happened Pheebs?"

Phoebe rolled her eyes, "You're no fun," she huffed, but answered anyway, too happy to be really upset, "I ran into David! You know, my scientist man! We're meeting up for dinner later tonight! Yay me!"

"Oh, Pheebs," Rachel and Monica chorused, happy for their friend, "That's so great!"

"I know! Hey! What are you doing?" Phoebe accused, finally taking notice of what the other two girls were up to, "Are you doing girly stuff and didn't invite me?"

"Uh…" Rachel hemmed, twisting the bottle she was holding in her hand, nervously, unsure how to answer the question sensitively.

Phoebe quickly voided the need for a suitable answer. "Well, shove over," she said, making shooing gestures, encouraging the other two girls to scoot down the couch, "Make room for Pheebs!"

"Oh!" Phoebe squealed randomly, as she picked out a bright orange polish colour from the array of colourful bottles that Monica and Rachel had laid out on the table, unable to contain her glee, "I'm just so excited!" She grinned wider, tucking a long strand of blonde hair behind her ear, "David is just the best in bed."

"Pheebs!" Monica exclaimed, flushing at her friend's directness.

"What?" Phoebe questioned, unashamed of her forward behaviour, "Like you guys never get excited about a guy being good in bed!" she scoffed, "I mean, that's probably half the reason that Rachel's with Chandler," she laughed, "What other reason is there?"

Rachel blushed furiously, not sure how to answer that question. "Well – I, um, not exactly. Chandler and I have never, actually, well, you know, done that… thing. Yet."

Phoebe looked aghast. So did Monica, but probably for slightly different reasons. "You haven't?" they both exclaimed, their voices dripping curiosity.

"No."

Monica looked suitably relieved at Rachel's answer, but Phoebe only looked more appalled. "Well why not?" she wondered, baffled, "Chandler can be one cute piece of ass when he shuts his mouth."

Rachel shrugged, "No reason, really. We want to take things slow, what with the whole me and Ross fiasco. Rushing into things just seemed like a bad idea."

"What about that first night, after Ross' anniversary party?" Monica wondered quietly, "I – I caught you, I mean, I heard you… being all post-coital and stuff."

Rachel shrugged again. "We spent most of the night just talking and cuddling, and a little bit of kissing. That was a few days after we first got together."

"A few days?! Even more reason why that's inexcusable!" Phoebe insisted, "Don't you have any sympathy? Poor Chandler!"

Rachel couldn't help but laugh aloud at Phoebe's insistence. "I'm sorry. Am I in trouble for _not_ sleeping with my boyfriend?!"

Phoebe smirked, but Monica remained eerily expressionless, as if fighting not to show emotion either way. "No," Phoebe claimed eventually, "But you guys are totally cute! You should just go for it!"

At this Monica made a noticeable choking sound, causing the others to look at her.

"What? You don't think they're cute?" Phoebe demanded.

"They're alright," Monica said indifferently, "I don't know if I'd say 'cute."

"I would!"

"Of course you would!" Monica snipped, "You've been on the 'whoo, go Rachel and Chandler' bandwagon since day one," she claimed, waving her hands in the air as she made the 'whoo' noise.

"Fine," Phoebe rolled her eyes, "You and Pete are cute, too," she added, assuming she had upset Monica's competitive spirit by labelling Chandler and Rachel as more cute than her and Pete, "Better?"

"Sure," Monica drawled, insincerely.

Taking advantage of the situation and Monica's obvious jealousy, Rachel interjected herself back into the conversation, "Actually, on the whole, me, Chandler and a bed issue… he's planning on taking me out tonight," she lied. She and Chandler had made no such plans. "He's hanging with Ross for a bit, but at ten, we're going out to dinner. It was the only reservation left at Tavern on the Green on such short notice," she gushed. The lies were coming only too easily.

"Aww, really?" Phoebe said, "he's taking you there? That's so sweet. You've got all these stories with Chandler being all romantic… and I still can't believe it. He might have a cute ass… but Chandler, romantic?"

"I'd believe it," Monica said, quietly, all signs jealously slipping away, in her defense of Chandler, "I remember one time when he had just moved in, we weren't really friends, yet, hardly even acquaintances. I had just lost my job, and he caught me crying in the hallway. He was really sweet about it; he offered to lend me money, or get me a job in the Fine Foods division of his company. He hardly knew me, other than as Ross' little sister, but he was willing to do whatever it took, just to help me out of a jam."

"Yeah," Rachel claimed, bobbing her head along in agreement, "He does sweet things like that all the time. So yeah, definitely, I think tonight may be the night," she glanced at the clock, realizing it was just over an hour away from when she claimed she and Chandler were going out, and he still had no idea of his new dinner plans. "Actually, um, I kinda miss him already, so, yeah, I think I'm going to go over and say 'hi,' before we go out for dinner," she finished lamely, pleased the others didn't question her motives. Relieved, she slipped out the door, heading to Chandler's.

She was thankful to find him seated in his barcalounger, with Joey and Ross seated on surrounding furniture. Clearly Chandler and Ross had both migrated over from Ross' apartment, to watch the evening's Knicks game on TV with Joey.

Without a word, Rachel breezed up to Chandler, and grabbed him by the cuff of his shirt, and dragged him into his room.

Once the door was safety slammed behind them, Joey turned to Ross, a seedy smile on his face, "Oh ho, Chandler's getting lucky tonight!"

Ross smiled awkwardly at him, making no attempt to comment further, his earlier conversation with Chandler still resonating in his head, making any additional commentary seem inappropriate.

"You're taking me out to dinner tonight," Rachel said, once the door was closed firmly behind them and Chandler was seated on his bed, looking at her curiously, wondering the reason for her abrupt appearance. "Brush off your best suit. You're picking me up at 9:45. Reservations are at ten."

"Whoa," Chandler commented, still a little dazed by the abrupt appearance and rapid-fire sequence of information being presented to him, "It's almost like I really am your boyfriend. You're bossing me around and telling me how to dress. What's next?" After a long pause, during which Rachel smirked at him sarcastically, he asked, "Are you gonna tell me what's going on, here, or are we gonna play twenty questions?"

"I may have accidentally told the girls that you were taking me out to Tavern on the Green at ten, and that we were going to have sex afterward," Rachel said quickly, her words running together.

Chandler understood her perfectly, however. "You did all that by accident?" he gaped at her, baffled, "I think I'm going to have to take you to my 'Learning how to Shut up: 101' class."

Rachel rolled her eyes, "Look, it's not as bad as it sounds. Okay, sure, we'll never get into Tavern on the Green with less than an hour 'til our dinner plans, but we can fake it by going somewhere else, like a Starbucks or something. As for the sex… there are ways of faking that, too."

Chandler couldn't help the wide smirk that seemed to overtake the rest of his features, "You're telling me. Women excel at that. Especially with me."

Rachel only seemed irritated by his snide remark. "Are you just gonna sit there, or what?"

Chandler quickly sobered. He took her hand gently in his, in an effort to get her to calm down a little, "No, no," he countered, "Let me take you out to dinner for real, okay? I want to. Consider it a 'thank you' for being so great about all of this, and helping me out with Monica." He hugged her and kissed her check gently, causing her to stop in her tracks, her worries forgotten, at least for the moment.

"Okay," she agreed, noticeably flushing, a small smile on her face, then nodded to herself and repeated, "Okay."

xx

"You guys!" Rachel exclaimed as she burst into her apartment, flinging open the door loudly, startling both Monica and Phoebe who had resumed painting their nails in her absence. "You have to help me get ready! We're going out in, like, half an hour and I have nothing to wear," she wailed. She was inexplicably nervous about going out with Chandler on an outing where they would likely be perceived as a couple… and not just for the sake of their friends.

"Okay, okay," Phoebe soothed, screwing the cap on the bottle of polish she was holding and standing to comfort Rachel. Monica was much slower to move to Rachel's aid, her movements were almost lethargic, her unwillingness obvious.

"Calm down, we'll find you something," Phoebe rationalized, "You have a closet overflowing with clothes; there must be something worthy of _Chandler_ in there," she said, with a teasing sarcastic lilt, "Anything short and low cut will do."

"Pheebs!" Rachel cried, "I don't want him to think I'm a slut."

"Too late," Monica muttered under her breath, gritting her teeth.

"Okay, fine," Phoebe drawled, as if Rachel was being difficult, "Let's go see what we have to work with," she decided, pulling Rachel toward her room.

After Rachel's bed was piled shoulder high with various outfits, the three girls eventually agreed on a summery royal blue halter dress that looked amazing on Rachel, flattering her figure.

"You look amazing," Monica grudgingly had had to admit to her friend. Her heart had sunk into her stomach when Rachel had stepped into view, swinging the skirt of the dress with a flourish. She knew immediately Chandler was going to love her roommate. She was gorgeous. She shrunk back a little, feeling like she was in high school all over again. Like dumpy, sidekick Monica next to beautiful, flawless Rachel.

In the remaining ten minutes before Chandler was due to show to pick her up, they managed to pick out several complementary silver accessories, including a charm bracelet and a pair of pumps, and apply her makeup, a feat Monica deemed just short of a miracle, when compared to the amount of time her roommate typically took to get ready.

They were just putting the finishing touches on Rachel's makeup, when there was a knock at the door, which Phoebe opened to reveal Chandler. He was dressed nicely. He actually did clean up quite nicely, when he put in a little effort. He looked cute in his grey suit… if he hadn't been Chandler, Phoebe might have even ventured to 'sexy.' She had noticed that Monica, too, had given him an appreciative glance.

There was something different about him, though… something atypical of Chandler, when he went on dates. He wasn't nerve-wracked, like he usually seemed to be on dates… He seemed relaxed and completely at ease. It seemed more like he was going out to a casual dinner with a friend. Perhaps dating Rachel, who was a friend first and foremost, was good for him, Phoebe considered, it look away his jittery edge.

Rachel on the other hand…

Was the polar opposite. It was like Rachel and Chandler had completely switched personalities. Rachel was acting like a nervous teenager going on her first date. She laughed just a little too loudly at Chandler's jokes, fidgeted just a little too much, and straightened her dress just a few too many times, belying how nervous she was.

"Ready to go?" Chandler wondered, a broad grin on his face as he offered his arm to Rachel, who took it with a nod, smiling back at him.

And like a whirlwind, they were gone.

Soon as they were out the door, Phoebe closed it behind them, leaning against it and looking at Monica with wide eyes. "Well," she stated, a hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth, "the way Rachel was acting, Chandler's got a sure thing, tonight."

Monica said nothing, though her eyes screamed, 'don't remind me.' Phoebe, seemed to understand something wasn't quite right with her friend, and said nothing further on the subject.

The truth was, Monica was dreading the waiting game. She needed to know what happened between Rachel and Chandler, but dreaded knowing even more.

A knot in the pit of her stomach, Monica picked up the cordless and punched in Pete's number. Phoebe was leaving to meet David in twenty minutes and she was going to be damned if she was going to be stuck alone, when everyone else had someone.

For tonight, at least, she wouldn't have to be.

Tomorrow… well, that was another story.

xx

_Well, look at that, I managed to update twice in one week. So miracles really do happen._

_Really, though, it's thanks to all you lovely reviewers, who inspire me 100%. The day after I posted the last chapter, and all the reviews had flooded in, I wrote the majority of this chapter, so that goes to show how much your thoughts and reviews really do motivate me :)_

_If the semi-speedy update is any indication, my coursework is suffering from not-doing-it-itis. Since I've been pushing everything off to 'later' and now IS later, I have to do it now…. so less updating, unfortunately :( But classes are ending in three weeks. Yes, I realize every time I post a chapter it's like a countdown, but I'm excited for summer :P  
_

_Thanks for reading :)_


	7. Chapter 7

**Everything You Want – Chapter Seven**

xx

Rachel smiled at Chandler over her pasta, genuinely surprised by how much she was enjoying herself on her 'date' with him.

When she had insisted that he take her out to cover her slip up, she hadn't been expecting much more than coffee and doughnuts at the local Starbucks, but Chandler had insisted on taking her to dinner as a show of thanks. Even then she hadn't been expecting much. It was Chandler, after all, since when was he known for his sweet gestures towards women?

Her first surprise of the night had come when Chandler had handed written instructions to their destination to the driver on a scrap of paper, insisting he wanted it to be a surprise. She had indeed been surprised when 15 minutes later their cab pulled up in front of her favourite restaurant. How had he known? She hadn't told him, had she?

He had looked nervously at her, clearly wanting her to appreciate the gesture. She had smiled back and hugged him, touched by his thoughtfulness. She flushed remembering how comforting and familiar the hug had been… and how, just for a moment, she had managed to forget Ross in her happiness over Chandler's consideration.

"Rach! Hello, earth to Rachel! Rachel!" Chandler called, peering at his friend with concerned eyes, relieved to see her finally snap out of her daze and meet his gaze, "You've been staring off into space for a few minutes! I thought you were having a seizure or something!"

Rachel flushed, embarrassed by where her thoughts had been. "Sorry. I was just thinking," she apologized.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly, "All night you've been kind of… on edge," he ventured carefully, as if worried about offending her, "Am I doing something to make you uncomfortable?" he wondered.

Rachel met his eyes in an attempt to reassure him she was fine, consciously trying to ignore how beautifully blue they were. "I'm fine, Chandler," she insisted, "Tonight has been fun. I'm glad we decided to do this."

Chandler smiled at her, "Me too."

"You know," Rachel commented, "If this was a real date… I… I think I'd really be looking forward to date number two. You're not so bad at this whole dating thing, Bing."

Chandler's smile grew wider, "Well, after the ten thousandth and third failed first date, you kinda start to get a hang of how the whole thing works."

"Speak for yourself," Rachel teased, "I think I've had a pretty good hold on the dating thing since eighth grade."

"Sure you did," Chandler scoffed, teasing, "I've heard stories from Monica," he smirked knowingly.

"Oh yeah?" Rachel questioned, raising an eyebrow challengingly, "You're bluffing. You know nothing!"

"Am I?" Chandler smirked, the competitive spark in his eye, reminding Rachel of Monica for a moment.

Maybe her friend was a good match for Chandler. As different as they were, they had their similar points, too. Rachel shook off the thought, focusing on Chandler's challenge, nodding emphatically. "Yes!"

"James Woodland, ninth grade," Chandler said, his smirk threatening to split his face in two.

Rachel gasped, pausing in twirling her linguini around her fork, in horror. "Monica told you about him! Oh! That is it! She is _so_ dead!"

"Come on, Rach," Chandler said taking a sip of his water to conceal his smirk, "It's no big deal. Everyone accidentally gets their lip caught on their boyfriend's braces on a first date at some point during their lives!" he managed to say with a mostly straight face, his voice cracking as he was unable keep his laughter in any longer.

Rachel shot him her most evil, cower-inducing glare. It wasn't nearly as effective as Monica or Phoebe's, and he merely stared back evenly. "Haha," she deadpanned, "Monica is so going on my list!"

Chandler raised an eyebrow questioningly, "Do you really think it's in your best interest to go after Monica? First of all, she could kick your ass with both of her hands tied behind her back, and secondly, without Monica you'd starve to death."

"Are you calling me a pushover, Bing?" Rachel growled, "Because let me tell you something–"

"No," Chandler interrupted with a laugh, "I'm not calling you a pushover. I'm calling Monica freakishly strong."

"Yeah, okay, fine," Rachel groaned, "Still, who does she think she is spilling all my secrets?"

"Uh Rach," Chandler wondered, cutting off a piece of his steak, "Don't you think that's a case of the pot calling the kettle… a big fat gossiper?"

"Ugh," Rachel stewed, knowing he was right; she had no right to be mad at Monica when she had spilled secrets ten times worse.

Rachel and Chandler were both quiet for a moment, the only sound at the table, the chinking of silverware. "By the way," Rachel finally said, unable to let the story pass by without comment, "I'll have you know that was a one time incident! My first date skills have improved immensely since I was 14!"

"I beg to differ," Chandler countered with a smirk, "Monica's told me other stories you know! Much more _recent_ stories," he added meaningfully.

"I'll show you!" Rachel insisted glaring at him in response.

Chandler watched Rachel stab at her pasta savagely for a moment. That didn't stop him from commenting, "How exactly are you going to 'show me?'" Chandler wondered, looking at her doubtfully.

"I don't know! I just will!" Rachel growled.

"Alright. You showed me!" Chandler laughed, then sobered, a tiny smirk peeking through his serious expression, "I'm on your list now, aren't I?"

"Sounds about right!" Rachel glared at him. Him and his stupid smirk… that made his eyes sparkle. Dumb sparkle. Ugh. She _would_ show him.

"Aww, lighten up, Rach," he said, taking her hand, causing Rachel softened a little, "I was just teasing," he continued, "I don't really think you're a bad first date, Hey, if we were a couple and this were our first date, I'd call it a rousing success! It sure as hell beats my first date with Janice!"

"Yeah?" Rachel asked, the coldness slipping from her voice, curiosity inching in instead.

Chandler flushed, "Well, yeah, but let's not go there. Lets just say tonight has been a much more pleasant evening. I mean, I know this is only a fake date, because we're only a fake couple, but I've been having fun. There's none of that nerve-wracking am-I-doing-okay first date wondering, because you're already one of my closest friends."

"I know," Rachel smiled at him, "I'm sorry, I was being kind of bitchy earlier. I feel the same way," she agreed, squeezing his hand, which was still holding hers. Suddenly getting an idea, she began stroking the back of his hand gently, her number one get-the-guy-to-open-up first date trick. Not a good first date? He'd see. "So," she said, adding a sultry note to her voice, "Since this is our first date, why don't you tell me about yourself, Chandler?"

Getting the idea and playing along, Chandler smiled back at her, "Well there isn't that much to tell. I'm a data processor. Been living in the city, since college; had to get away from my parents. They're a little crazy."

"Yeah?" Rachel asked, still caressing his hand, "Are you close to your parents?"

Chandler looked down, shyly, "Not really, I talk to my mom, once, maybe twice a year, if she remembers to call on my birthday. And my Dad… I haven't talked to him since I left for college. They're not the most reliable parents in the world."

"That must be hard," Rachel sympathized, continuing to stroke his hand.

"Yeah, sometimes it is," Chandler agreed, his tone a little melancholy, "It's hard when you feel more responsible than your own parents." He looked down at Rachel's hand on his and suddenly gasped realizing what she was doing. "You're using your first date moves on me!" he accused.

"I'm sorry," Rachel said insincerely, "But you wouldn't listen when I said I was a good first date!"

Chandler tilted his head appreciatively, "That was pretty good!"

"Of course it was!" Rachel smirked immodestly, adding a moment later, "I rule at first dates! Do you have any moves?"

Chandler flushed, "No-not, not really," he stuttered, "Maybe that's my problem?" he considered, "I just kind of wing it, and hope for the best. Girls like spontaneity, right?"

Rachel shrugged taking a bite of her pasta, "Some of them," she shrugged indifferently.

"What about you?" Chandler smirked at her, over his water glass, "You're a woman, right? Maybe you can give me some pointers."

"Yes, thanks for noticing," she deadpanned, before answering the question seriously, "Spontaneity is good with me," after a moment of thought, she added, "Monica not so much. If you want to have a good date with her, have a plan. Show her your itinerary ahead of time and you're pretty much guaranteed to get lucky," she joked.

Chandler, uncharacteristically breezed past the joke, his tone serious, "You think we'll get to that point? She's still with Pete," he added glumly.

"Are you kidding me, Chandler?" Rachel scoffed, "It's just a matter of time, trust me. Monica is going nuts over the thought of you and I together. She's only with Pete because her mother's put all this junk in her head about how she's never going to get married. She wants you, but wants the security Pete offers, too. Trust me, she's gonna realize eventually that love is more important than security. I did, with Barry. She just needs a little time to come to terms with her feelings."

"You really think so?" Chandler wondered, trying not to sound too needy.

"Yes," Rachel confirmed, "Trust me on this one. I've been there before. It's not so easy to realize you have feelings for your best friend as you might think. Monica's still in the denial stage, trying to convince herself that she loves Pete, because she thinks that's what her mother would want."

"You're really putting that two and a half months of psychology classes in college to good use, huh?" Chandler teased.

"Like I remember any of that!" Rachel waved him off, "I was too busy making out with Tony Dawson in the back row! He was so cute! This is just woman's intuition."

"Yeah, well," Chandler commented sarcastically, "I don't really have that. I have to stick with plain ol' regular intuition, and apparently mine doesn't work so well."

Rachel smiled at him, "I think you're better than you think you are. You did good bringing me here. How did you find out what my favourite restaurant was, anyway?"

"Ross," Chandler answered quickly, "Just kinda asked him casually while he was watching TV, and he told me without thinking."

"Yeah?" Rachel asked, unsure what to think of that.

"Yeah," Chandler nodded. Understanding why she was asking, he commented, "Even with all this Emily stuff, he hasn't forgotten. He still knows you, Rach. There's hope yet."

"Yeah, I – I know," Rachel agreed, quietly. Though there was the tiny doubtful thought in the back of her mind, questioning if she wanted there to be, anymore. Having dinner with Chandler tonight, she realized she'd not had so much fun in a long time, not even with Ross.

xx

Monica squeezed her eyes closed tightly, forcing back tears, burying her head deeper into her pillow. She lay with her back facing Pete, who was asleep on the other side of her bed. She felt him stir, and tensed, not wanting a repeat of their conversation from earlier in the night.

When he had initiated sex, she had put him off telling him that she wasn't in the mood. That was only a half truth. Sure, she wasn't really in the mood, but a nagging voice in the back of her head was telling her that her lack of interest in sleeping with Pete had more to do with Rachel and Chandler than Pete. Well, more Chandler than Rachel, if she was being honest with herself.

The thought of Chandler sleeping with Rachel made her more than a little uncomfortable, and Rachel had said in no uncertain terms, that that was what was going to be happening tonight. Monica had been unable to think of anything but the looming possibility since the couple had left on their date.

She had called Pete over in an attempt to distract herself. It hadn't worked so well; instead of providing a distraction, she had ended up ignoring her boyfriend most of the night, irritating him by continuously tuning him out as her thoughts wandered to wondering what Chandler and Rachel were doing then.

She had been surprised when Pete had decided to stay the night at her place, after she had been such bad company, and even more surprised when he had initiated sex. Men were so much different than women, she thought with a wry smile, the first one she had cracked all evening. It quickly disappeared when she heard a key in the lock on the front door. She held her breath, listening to the sounds of Chandler and Rachel traipsing into the apartment. It was almost like they wanted her to hear them.

Fighting the urge to pull her pillow over her head to block out the sounds of their conversation and Rachel's patented flirting-with-a-guy giggle, Monica stared hard at the wall opposite her, trying to think of anything but the couple in her living room. She was suddenly envious of Pete and his ability to sleep so soundly, through the racket Chandler and Rachel were making. 'Didn't they know people were trying to sleep?' she wondered bitterly. It was one in the morning, for God's sake.

A sudden horrific thought shot down Monica's spine, as she recalled from experience how paper thin the walls in the apartment were. She'd heard Rachel through the walls, many a night, but it had never really held any significance before. As much as she had pondered over and dreaded the thought of Rachel and Chandler sleeping together, she hadn't considered that she might actually hear them doing it. Not caring if it seemed childish, or caused Pete to wake up, Monica snatched her pillow from beneath her head, burying her head underneath it.

Wondering if she was a glutton for punishment, Monica found herself straining to hear the muted sounds of Chandler and Rachel stumbling into her bedroom, through her pillow barrier. They were both in there. Sign number one she wasn't going to like what was coming. It was a long shot, she knew, but part of her had been hoping that Chandler would walk Rachel into her apartment, maybe give her a goodbye kiss, and bid her goodnight. No such luck.

Monica held her breath, remaining totally silent, listening for any clues to what was happening in the next room. It was quiet. The lack of noise in the next room was almost as nerve-fraying as the alternative. The lack of identifiable sounds made it only too easy for Monica's imagination to conjure up more harrowing possibilities. Maybe they were just going to sleep. It was past midnight, after all, and Monica knew Rachel had to be in for work at 7. But then… there were the possibilities she didn't want to think about. Except, all she could do was think about them. Were they kissing? Or worse… undressing?

Monica groaned at the unwanted mental picture and began to hum loudly in her head, trying to think of anything but what could be happening in the next room. She was so into her personal rendition of 'Jenny/867-5309,' she failed to notice that Pete had woken up, until he tapped her on the shoulder.

She jumped, yanking the pillow off her head, flushing when she realized Pete was looking at her oddly. "You okay, Monica?" he asked, concerned, "You've been acting weird all night. Is there something going on?"

"No," Monica stammered after a moment of awkward silence, unable to come up with a suitable lie on the spot.

Pete looked at her doubtfully. "Do you usually sleep with your pillow over your head?"

Monica flushed, "No. I was just trying to get comfortable. I'm having trouble sleeping."

Pete's eyebrow raised in confusion, "And you find it more comfortable to sleep with your head under your pillow, than on top of it?"

"Sometimes," Monica muttered, flushing, her excuse sounding stupid even in her head, "The cool side of the pillow, y'know?"

"Yeah," Pete nodded in half-understanding, his forehead still creased in confusion, "But usually people just flip the pillow over. 'Cause, ya know, it's easier to breathe and all."

Monica flushed deeper, pretending to consider the suggestion, "Oh, I guess I'll have to try that next time, it sounds like a good idea," she nodded.

Pete looked deeper into her eyes, "Are you really okay, Mon?" he asked, genuinely worried for her.

Monica sighed, taking a deep breath, half-considering spilling everything, before deciding that would be the stupidest thing she could do. Then she'd be boyfriendless in addition to being the biggest loser that ever existed. "I'm fine, Pete," she finally said.

From his expression it was obvious he was doubting the truthfulness of that statement, but didn't press the issue further.

The awkward silence was broken by a loud banging noise from the next room. Like the sound of Rachel's creaky, annoying headboard, and other accompanying noises. Grrreat. Monica was torn between being pleased at the distraction and mortified that the sound confirmed her worst suspicions about what was going on in the next room.

Pete seemed much less embarrassed, oblivious to his girlfriend's discomfort, "Sounds like Rachel and Chandler are back from their date. I guess it went well!" he snickered, sounding for a moment like Joey.

"Uh huh," Monica mumbled, deadpan.

"At the risk of sounding completely unmanly... they make a really cute couple," Pete commented, "Granted, I only saw them together for like 10 minutes in the coffeehouse, but they just seem to… click. And if this," he gestured to the wall, and the groaning sounds wafting through it, "is any indication, it seems like they have fun together."

"Yeah," Monica repeated, "Fun."

Pete smiled at her charmingly. "Speaking of having fun. Want to have some fun of our own? I'll even let you make it into a competition if you want! See if you can be louder than Rachel!"

"Gee, as appealing and romantic as that is, I think I'm going to have to pass," Monica muttered, sarcastically.

Pete looked a little taken aback at her reaction to his joke. Truthfully, he had been half-serious. It was just like Monica to want to make a competition out of anything she could. "Come on, Mon, I was just kidding."

"Yeah, you're hilarious," Monica said flatly, "If you don't mind, I'm going to get some sleep. It's past midnight, and I haven't got any sleep, yet." she said, turning her back to Pete, staring hard at the wall separating her room from Rachel's, suddenly wishing the right side of the bed was her side. At least she'd be three feet further away, then. She closed her eyes to further the illusion that she was attempting to sleep, and prevent Pete from attempting to ask further questions.

Pete cast one last glance at her back, wondering why she was being so touchy. He couldn't recall anything that he had done that would upset her. Pushing the thought aside, he sighed deeply, and scooted down under the covers, preparing to sleep.

Monica tensed slightly as he settled in, sighing inwardly in relief that he had let the conversation slide so easily. Her mind was full enough without worrying that she had upset her boyfriend.

Why did she have a feeling she wasn't going to get any sleep tonight?

xx

"I can_not_ believe we're actually doing this," Chandler groaned, moving to take Rachel's place by the headboard of her bed, rocking against it, so it banged lightly against the wall adjacent to the wall separating Monica and Rachel's bedrooms.

"Geez, lighten up," Rachel teased, pausing to moan loudly for Monica's benefit, before continuing, "I think it's kind of funny. I cannot wait to see Monica's face tomorrow morning. You saw her face when we were leaving on our 'date,'" Rachel claimed, using air quotes for the word 'date,' "Don't tell me you of all people can't see the humour in this."

"Yes, this is hilarious. I'm so desperate to get one woman's attention I've resorted to having fake sex with another one. You're right, that _is_ funny!" Chandler muttered, sarcastically, "The joke where Chandler can't get a real date, hilarious!" Rachel looked at him pointedly, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he conceded, "Okay, it is kind of funny. Still can't believe were doing this, though."

"Yeah, me either," Rachel smiled, pausing mid sentence to groan again, Chandler following suit, "It feels like a college prank or something."

"I feel like a little kid who's just waiting to get caught for doing something he was told not to," Chandler admitted, before faking another groan.

"Yeah," Rachel nodded with a laugh, "I'm half expecting Monica to barge in here, and tell me to get off of you."

"Yeah," Chandler laughed, "that'd be the day. Can you imagine? What do you think she'd do if she found out we were faking it?"

"Ask us whether we'd like to be buried or cremated?" Rachel suggested, with a laugh.

"Yeah, sounds about right. She'd probably catch you first, though," Chandler smirked, "so I'd have a chance at escaping."

"Oh yeah?" Rachel challenged, "How do you figure?"

"Well," Chandler explained, ticking off reasons on his fingers, "For one, this was all your idea, so if need be I'm blaming you, so she'll probably go after you first; two, you're still wearing your heels and dress from dinner, and I've seen from experience you can't run in those, though it sure was funny watching you try to hail a cab; and three, I'm just so much faster than you."

Rachel looked down at her attire, "Hmm, yeah. Is it weird that we're doing this in our nice clothes?"

"You mean, more weird than it already is that we're doing this fully-dressed?" Chandler laughed, "Doubt it. I think faking sex hits the maximum threshold for weirdness before clothes even have a chance to factor in. Now get over here," Chandler gestured to the headboard, "It's your turn to do some banging."

Rachel moved from the end of the bed, towards him, to switch places, inadvertently tripping on one of his legs which were extended out on the bed, and landing so she was straddling one of his legs, half sitting in his lap.

Chandler laughed at their compromising position. "When I said get over here, that wasn't what I meant, Rach. We agreed we weren't going to do that… just… fake it."

"Oh haha," Rachel deadpanned, picking herself up, standing on her bed, "Move over, fat ass, so I can take over. Oh Chandler!" She suddenly groaned for Monica's benefit.

Chandler laughed at the odd combination of sentences, ignoring the latter and pretending to be offended, "Are you calling my ass fat, Rachel Green?" he asked, "My ass is not fat."

Rachel smirked, pausing in banging against the headboard to cast an exaggeratedly doubtful glance at his butt, "So sure, are you?"

Chandler nodded vehemently. "Yeah. My ass is very toned, thank you very much."

"Wow," Rachel teased, "You managed to say that with a straight face and everything!"

"Oh please," Chandler joked, as he moved past Rachel towards the foot of bed, "You know you want it. Joey told me he walked in on you girls talking about my tushy."

"Tushy?" Rachel giggled at his word choice.

"Yep," he nodded, "And apparently all three of you are hot for this butt," he said, waving it, as he crawled down the bed.

Rachel tilted her head appraisingly and nodded, conceding, "Yeah, okay, you have a cute butt. I take back my 'fat ass' comment; you happy now?"

"Score!" Chandler laughed, sitting down, with his legs crossed, facing Rachel. He turned suddenly serious, "Hey Rach?"

"Yeah?"

"I just want you to know that I had fun tonight," he admitted, "I mean, this has probably been one of the weirdest days, in the history of ever, but I've had fun doing it with you… and I suppose I mean that in several ways," he laughed at the inadvertent pun, "I wouldn't want to fake sex with anyone else."

Rachel laughed, "I'm not sure whether that's sweet or offensive, but ditto."

After a moment of semi-awkward silence, they looked into one another's faces, the serious expressions they each wore causing them to burst out laughing, all awkwardness gone.

"Hey," Chandler asked conversationally, "Not to rush our relationship here, or anything, but where do we go from here? Excuse me if I'm not exactly down with the post-fake-sex protocol."

Rachel shrugged, continuing to bang the headboard against the wall, "I'm new to this, too, but venturing a guess, I'd think it'd be the same as after real sex," Rachel suggested reasonably, explaining, "since we're trying to make everyone else think it is."

"Yeah," Chandler nodded in understanding, adding seriously, "So once we're done here, I'll be heading back to my apartment, then?" At Rachel's 'what's wrong with you' expression he laughed, "Just kidding. So I'm crashing here?"

Rachel shook her head at the attempt at a joke, muttering, "It really is a miracle you've experienced a healthy relationship."

Chandler looked at her sarcastically, "Are you kidding me? I've never experienced a healthy relationship. Unless you count being cheated on as healthy." Rachel shrugged, conceding the point.

Chandler yawned, his tiredness from the unexpectedly busy day catching up with him. "Who knew fake dates ending in fake sex were so tiring? I'm beat. Are we almost ready to sleep?" he asked through another yawn.

Rachel nodded, glancing at the clock, "Yeah, it's been almost half an hour. I think that'll be sufficient to drive Monica crazy. Ready for the big final?" Rachel questioned, smirking at him. After a moment, they both groaned calling out one another's names loud enough for Monica to hear on the other side of the wall.

"Well, now that's done…" Chandler commented, "I'm going to sleep. Fake sex is just as tiring as the real thing," he claimed, burrowing under Rachel's bedcovers after stripping to his boxers and t-shirt, too tired to even make a joke about the fact he was undressing after 'sex.'

"Typical man," Rachel joked, "Always wanting to sleep after sex."

"It's hard work!" Chandler defended, before changing the topic abruptly, "Your bed sure is soft," he said as he pulled the covers around himself.

"Don't get too comfy," Rachel told him, following suit, getting ready for bed, "We're waking up bright and early for round two."

"Yeah?" Chandler asked, already sounding half asleep, "Go me."

Rachel smiled at his dozing form splayed on the bed; he really was cute when he was sleeping, she thought. She began to get undressed, not even bothering to tell him to close his eyes as she changed into a t-shirt and a pair of flannel pants, he was so out of it. She felt a little thrill at the idea he could see her naked if he cared to, but shoved it aside, crawling into the bed next to him. He had sprawled in the middle of the mattress, so she was forced to snuggle right against him to fit on the bed. She leaned over to her night table and pulled the chain on her lamp, plunging the room into darkness.

She smiled at the silhouette of Chandler's sleeping form, as her eyes adjusted to the darkness.

"Night Chandler," she whispered to her sleeping friend, kissing his cheek gently, sliding deeper under the covers, wrapping one arm around his waist, finding it the most comfortable position to sleep in, promptly following him into dreamland.

xx

_Ohemgee. Yup, I've finally updated. Didya miss me?_

_Well I've missed writing this. I should be more regular in updating now that it's summertime. School got in the way, then I started my job. But, I've got my grades back and it's all good, so I can have a happy carefree summer. My job is much less stressful than school, and requires no homework, so evenings are usually free to write._

_This is one of my favourite chapters so far, so I really hope you all enjoyed it, too :) Oh… and leave me a review if you liked it, it'll make me smile, and coincidentally enough, the more I smile, the faster I update._


	8. Chapter 8

**Everything You Want – Chapter Eight**

xx

Chandler and Rachel strolled into the living room hand in hand the next morning, large grins on their faces. They smiled at one another, sharing their secret. Monica and Pete were already seated at the kitchen table, a large breakfast laid out in front of them. Monica had clearly been up for a while cooking the elaborate breakfast.

Chandler and Rachel slid into adjacent seats, still holding hands, not daring to look Monica or Pete in the face, for fear of bursting into laughter. They immediately began helping themselves to the large stack of French toast, Chandler considerately piling several pieces on Rachel's plate for her, kissing her cheek when she sweetly thanked him.

Monica and Pete watched them interact with curious eyes. Monica was unusually quiet, remaining silent as she pushed her food around her plate, looking away from Rachel and Chandler whenever either of them glanced in her direction, not wanting to give away her feelings with a glance. If anyone could read her, it was one of them.

It was Pete who finally spoke, an amused lilt to his voice, "So you guys seem pretty happy this morning. Have a good night's rest did you?"

Rachel grinned broadly at Chandler. "Amazing. Last night was amazing. We had the best date."

Chandler nodded in agreement, smiling into Rachel's eyes, "The best."

"That's nice," Pete said conversationally, "I wish we could say the same. But Monica was kind of down last night, and she had trouble sleeping." Monica shot him a sharp stare, but he remained oblivious to her annoyance.

Rachel hid her smile, knowing exactly why Monica was 'kind of down.' "Oh that sucks, Mon," she said apologetically, "I hope we didn't keep you up last night. Chandler and I were being kind of loud and inconsiderate when we got in. I guess we didn't even think about the fact you might be trying to sleep, or that Pete was sleeping over."

Monica tried somewhat futilely to keep her face blank and her tone neutral, her words coming out strained as she stirred her coffee more forcefully than necessary. "We barely heard you guys come in."

Pete looked at his girlfriend, not sure what to make of her behaviour. Maybe it wasn't just him. She was being pretty surly to Rachel and Chandler, too. He'd have to talk to her later.

Thankfully, the strained silence that followed didn't last very long. Ross and Emily entered, bright smiles on their faces as they ushered Phoebe and Joey into the apartment ahead of them. It was clear that Ross and Emily were excited about something and had dragged their friends to the apartment, pulling them away from their morning routines. Joey still looked half asleep in a pair of rumpled shorts and t-shirt with matching bed head, and Phoebe was carrying a half eaten slice of toast.

"Geez," Phoebe complained, "What's the big rush? Couldn't you have waited until after breakfast?" she asked, waving her toast, "Or at least until Joey woke up?"

"No!" Ross exclaimed, "We've got good news, and we want you all to hear it! Together. If we waited until Joey woke up, we'd be waiting until noon."

"Not true," Joey yawned, "I have an audition at 9," he said proudly, "For a lipstick commercial."

Chandler couldn't let that pass without comment, and told his incredulous friends, "I'll take this one. Lipstick, Joe?"

Joey looked at little more awake, prideful of the attention he was getting, "Yep! I've gotta kiss this hot chick, to prove her lipstick isn't gonna come off or something," he waved off the technicalities, "Whatever. I get to kiss a hot chick, and I don't have to call her back. Cool, huh?"

"Hmm, yeah," Chandler drawled sarcastically, "Sounds like every man's dream–"

"Okay, enough!" Ross complained, interrupting Chandler's quip, "We brought you all here for a reason. And it wasn't to discuss the details of Joey's latest commercial slash conquest."

Monica looked at her brother with a raised eyebrow. "So?" she questioned impatiently, "We're all listening."

Emily and Ross clasped hands and grinned at one another before turning their smiles on the gang, "You know how Emily and I wanted to get married in that gorgeous old hall that her parents got married in and it was going to be torn down in the summer and there were no more bookings available, so we had to book another place we really didn't like as much?" Ross queried. They all nodded, so he continued, "Well now we don't have to," he said brightly. When they all looked at him a little blankly he said, "Can you guys really not see where I'm going with this?" he wondered.

Phoebe gasped. "You guys have decided you don't want to get married anymore, so you're cancelling the wedding?"

Ross rolled his eyes and sighed, giving up trying to make his friends guess. "No. A booking at our preferred hall opened up," he explained.

"The only thing is," Emily explained, "It's soon. Like, really soon."

"Soon? Dude," Joey claimed, looking at Ross with wide eyes, "You're getting married in less than a month. That's already soon!"

Emily bit her lip, "Not any more. Try two weeks."

"Two weeks!" Rachel gasped out, a little choked on surprise, "Wow, oh wow! That-that's great," she managed, trying not to look too upset, fortunately, her acting was good enough to fool her friends whose attention was more focused on the betrothed couple. Chandler however, could see how upset she was and wrapped an arm around her, squeezing her shoulder comfortingly under the guise of cuddling his girlfriend.

"Yeah," Emily beamed, "We've checked with the caterers, flower people, everything. The date change is all set. We're getting married in two weeks!"

"That's great!" They all echoed Rachel's earlier statement, congratulations and hugs being spread around as everyone expressed their happiness for Ross and Emily, who couldn't seem to wipe the smiles off their faces.

As her friends celebrated around her, Rachel pasted on a happy face, leaning heavily against Chandler for support. He was the only one who knew how she felt, who she could look to for comfort, now.

He was getting pretty damn good at it, she had to admit.

xx

Chandler looked at Rachel, who was curled up in a ball on the couch, feeling a wave of sorrow wash through him. Everyone else had cleared out for work nearly 15 minutes ago, and he and Rachel had been left alone. Chandler knew that Rachel was supposed to have been at work nearly an hour ago, but didn't question her, not wanting to upset her further.

"Rach, hon?" he asked, sitting next to her, and wrapping an arm around her, "You okay?"

"No," she muttered, "Two weeks, Chandler! Do you know how long two weeks is? 14 days! That's only 336 hours until Ross gets married!"

"Hey," Chandler said impressed, "That was some quick math! Did you just do that in your head?"

Rachel let a tiny smile crack. Chandler always had a way of cheering her up, "Yep, when I'm _desolate_ I'm a math genius," she claimed, sotto.

Chandler smiled back, "Was that a joke I heard?"

"Maybe I'm not as depressed as I thought," she sighed, "Just empty. Really damn empty. My stomach feels like it just has this empty pit of a hole in it."

"Maybe you're hungry?" Chandler joked, and Rachel couldn't help but laugh out loud at the inappropriateness of the joke in the situation, that somehow managed to make her feel ten times better than she had only a minute before.

"Not that kind of emptiness, dumbass," she rolled her eyes, knowing he wouldn't take the insult personally, "Like a knot. And don't even get me started on my heart."

"Heart attack?" Chandler asked, feigning a gasp, causing Rachel to let loose another laugh.

"How do you do that?" she asked, sincerely, "I'm feeling like complete and total shit and in two minutes flat you've made me feel ten times better."

"Laughter is the best medicine for a broken heart," Chandler stated with a shrug, "I truly believe that. I learned early that if you don't learn to laugh at the miserable shit in your life, you're going to be a very unhappy person."

Rachel uncurled from her fetal position and leaned her head against his shoulder. "That's good advice. You're good at that, too, as hopeless as you are at applying it to your own life. I don't know what I would have done without you these past few weeks. Shrivelled up and died maybe."

"Nah," Chandler countered, "You're doing great. I don't know if I could have done as well as you have, if I were in your position. Ross is an idiot, okay? You're smart and beautiful and just one of the most amazing women I've ever met."

Touched and unsure how to express how much he had moved her with his sweet sentiment, Rachel pressed her lips gently against Chandler's. He responded for a moment, before gently pushing her away. "Rach," he said softly, his eyes searching hers, "What's going on? What are we doing?"

"I- I don't know," Rachel stammered, "I –I guess I was just trying to say thank you for being so sweet and knowing just what I needed."

He nodded in understanding, and they sat in comfortable silence for a moment. "Rach?" Chandler eventually asked, unable to stand quiet for too long. Rachel hummed in answer so he continued, "You know you can always count on me for that, right?" he wondered, "I mean, if you know, if you ever need to talk, I'm here to listen, right?"

"Yeah, I know," Rachel smiled. "Oh shit," she gasped, as she absently glanced at the clock above the TV, "I've made you late for work. I'm so sorry, Chandler. I didn't even realize," she apologized.

"Don't worry about it," Chandler brushed it off, looking at his own watch, "Are you gonna be okay?"

Rachel nodded. "Go. I'm fine," she insisted, "Thanks to you."

"Okay," Chandler agreed hesitantly, kissing her forehead, "I'll seeya after work, at the coffeehouse, okay?"

Rachel nodded, turning to watch him walk out the front door. As soon as he closed it behind him, she touched her lips gently. Who knew Chandler could be such a great kisser? If anyone had told her he could kiss like that she would have laughed until she cried. Her funny, dorky across-the-hall-neighbour Chandler could not be a great kisser.

Only thing was… he wasn't just her funny, dorky, across-the-hall-neighbour Chandler anymore.

xx

Phoebe smiled over her mug of coffee at Rachel. They had met for lunch at Phoebe's insistence. "So?" Phoebe questioned, reaching to grab her cookie off the coffee table, "How are things going with Chandler?" she asked immediately, never one to shy away from asking about what she wanted to know.

Rachel smiled back hesitantly at her blunt question, not sure how to respond. She desperately wanted to share about her blossoming feelings for Chandler and lingering ones for Ross. Talking to Phoebe was out of the question, though; the news would get back to Monica and Ross faster than she could snap her fingers. No one in their little group was well known for being able to keep secrets from one another. Rachel was surprised that she and Chandler had lasted as long with their little secret as they had. Though, really… that was more out of necessity than desire. The Geller siblings would kill them in two seconds flat if they found out. Well, Monica would, Rachel thought wryly.

"Things between me and Chandler are… good," Rachel said finally.

"Good?" Phoebe complained, setting her coffee mug down loudly in disappointment, "Good?! Is that seriously all you've got to say Rachel Karen Green? I expect better gossip from Joey!"

"Hey," Rachel protested, moving away slightly, "What are you middle naming me for? So there's not much to share. You and Monica weaseled all the details out of me the other night."

"That was before you slept with him!" Phoebe explained, "There's new details to be shared now! All this time he was 'Chandler,' just one of the girls… now he's _Chandler_."

"Wow," Rachel drawled, sardonically, "What a huge change!"

"See!" Phoebe exclaimed, pointing at her friend, like she was proving her point with the comment, "Now you're even sounding like him!"

Rachel shook her head in confusion. "What does me sounding like Chandler have to do with anything?" she wondered.

"Well," Phoebe considered, "For one, you're all oh-Chandler-I-love-you-your-sarcasm-is-so-sexy," she added in her interpretation of a lovesick Rachel voice.

"When did I ever say that?!" Rachel retorted, taking a bite out of her muffin.

"Oh please!" Phoebe countered, "You didn't have to say it! It was so obvious. If it's not true why is your aura blushing?"

"My aura is not blushing!" Rachel said defensively. Why was it that Phoebe's psychic abilities only seemed reliable when the outcome was complete and total mortification?

"It definitely is," Phoebe smirked, staring at the air above Rachel's head, "So you gonna share?"

"There's nothing to share!" Rachel whined, feeling the urge to cover her 'aura.'

"Oh, come on," Phoebe prodded, tucking a long strand of blonde hair behind her ear, "There has got to be something to share. I mean, it's Chandler. We've always wondered about what he was like in bed… Now you know. Don't be mean."

Rachel flushed, realizing she actually didn't know. How the hell was she suppose to lie her way through this? "It was good."

Phoebe groaned. "Not that word again. That is such a cop out. Was he bad and you're just trying to save face? No," she commented, seemingly talking to herself, "That can't be it, 'cause you're being all weird and squiggly about it."

"I am _not_ being squiggly!" Rachel defended, even though she really had no idea what being squiggly was.

"Uh huh, uh huh," Phoebe nodded, appeasing her friend, "I guess we're gonna have to do this the hard way."

"What hard way?" Rachel asked, with wide eyes. Like this wasn't already painful enough.

"I ask the questions, you answer them," Phoebe explained, as if she was pointing out the obvious.

"Oh.. o-okay," Rachel agreed hesitantly, going against all her instincts, which were telling her she was going to live to regret her decision. But if she didn't say something, Phoebe was only going to get more pushy, she rationalized.

"Oh goody," Phoebe exclaimed, clapping her hands together, and turning to face Rachel, who was sitting next to her on the orange couch, crossing her legs and pulling them up onto the couch as she did so. "This is going to be so much fun!"

"Yeah, fun," Rachel muttered under her breath.

"Don't be such a bore-o-phant," Phoebe remarked good-naturedly, apparently hearing Rachel's sarcastic comment. "So," she quickly changed the subject, "How big?"

"That's your first question?!" Rachel screeched, groaning in her head. Yep, should have followed your instincts, the little voice in the back of her mind taunted. "You have got to be kidding me!"

Phoebe shrugged, seeing nothing wrong with her line of questioning. "We can start with girth if you want. But personally, I think length is much more interesting."

Rachel sighed in defeat, making a futile attempt to fight down her blush. How in the hell was she supposed to answer questions she didn't know the answers to? Even thinking about it…. Rachel flushed deeper, realizing she didn't find the idea as off-putting as she would have only a few weeks ago, before she and Chandler had got themselves into this whole fiasco. "Are all the questions this personal?" she finally asked.

Phoebe tilted her head, mentally sifting through her lineup of future questions before nodding, "Yep, uh huh."

"You must have something else you want to know?" Rachel begged, unable to keep the pleading note out of her voice.

Phoebe rolled her eyes, implying she thought Rachel was making a big deal out of nothing, but took pity on her friend, "Okay, fine. How many times?"

Rachel fought to conceal her grin. She could handle numbers. Finally a question she could answer without a montage of inappropriate mental images springing to mind, assaulting her brain. "Four. Twice last night, twice in the morning."

"Nice," Phoebe smiled and nodded in approval, "Morning sex is the best."

"Yeah," Rachel nodded, smiling as she saw an opportunity to lead herself out of the painful conversation Phoebe no doubt had in store for her, "I'm not a morning person… but I guess I could get used to them if they were all like that. Anyway, Pheebs, so I was thinki-"

Phoebe, however wasn't ready to let go of her quest for information, and interrupted, "Enough about that. Was he romantic? I always figured Chandler would be kind of romantic."

Rachel shrugged to herself, it could have been worse. "Yeah, he was really sweet," she answered, straightforwardly, offering no additional details.

Phoebe didn't seem to notice. "I knew he would be," she nodded, "Don't take this the wrong way or anything… but you guys are so cute together! So much cuter than you and Ross!"

"Re-really?" Rachel asked, surprised, sitting a little straighter in her seat with pride over the compliment, "You really think so?" She had always got the impression that Phoebe still viewed her and Ross as the 'lobsters' she had once deemed them.

Phoebe nodded, "Your kids are going to have the nicest eyes. Don't get me wrong, Ross is cute, too." Phoebe shrugged, "But Chandler's features match yours better. You and Chandler would definitely have cuter kids. And your kids are _definitely_ going to be cuter than Ross and Emily's."

Even as she felt a burst of pride that their kids would be 'cuter' in Phoebe's opinion, Rachel gasped. "Kids?" she cried, "We're not having kids!" Finding to her own surprise, that the thought wasn't quite as horrifying as it could have been. There was something about Chandler, perhaps his childish quality, that made it seem like he would be a good father.

Phoebe waved her hand dismissively, "Maybe not now. But don't tell me you haven't thought about it? What's the second thing you do after you meet a guy before deciding to date him?" Phoebe asked rhetorically, "You picture your potential kids," she stated, as if it were obvious.

Unable to resist, Rachel wondered, "What's the first thing you do?"

"Check out his ass, of course," Phoebe grinned, "Don't worry, you're good there, too." Rachel shook her head and smiled at her friend's antics. "You really like him, don't you?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah," Rachel said with the realization that she really did. Sure she'd thought about it before, but it had never really sunk in until now, thanks to the way Phoebe had so bluntly put it. "I really do. I like him a lot."

xx

Chandler strolled into the coffeehouse after work, as he had promised Rachel he would, glancing around for her, only to find their usual seats empty. He slumped into the couch to wait for her and loosened his tie, drained after a long, boring day at work.

He signalled to Gunther for a cup of coffee and had barely taken a sip of his espresso, when the door to the coffeehouse was flung open, Monica whooshing through it, tears streaming down her face. She made a bee-line for the couch and flung herself at Chandler, who immediately wrapped his arms around her, whispering soothing words, "Hey, shh, it's okay. Mon, look at me. Are you alright? You're really freaking me out, here."

He hugged her more tightly than before, genuinely concerned for her well-being. There was nothing he hated more than seeing Monica cry. She was such a strong, willful woman, it was rare that she ever let herself cry.

Monica hiccupped, making an effort to stem her sobbing, and managed to choke out, "Pete and I broke up."

xx

_Oh… what is this? Am I updating twice in one week? Why, yes I am._

_I figure after a month (and then some) of nothing at all, I owe all you all :) Though I did stick you with that ending… Can't be all nice. That would be too… what's the word?… ah, yes, nice. Sorry, it's 2 in the morning and I have a terrible sense of humour.  
_

_I'm getting back into this series now that I'm back to writing it again, and having tons of fun with it. This is now my new favourite chapter. It's good when you say that every chapter, no? I'm excited about finishing this (we're halfway done!) because I have some other fun ideas to pursue, but hate splitting focus. The procrastinator in me does have some common sense. Who knew?_

_Anyway… thanks for reading :) And if you liked it, I'd love to hear from you :) _


	9. Chapter 9

**Everything You Want – Chapter Nine**

xx

"What?" Chandler gasped out, unable to hide his shock. Sure, he had been secretly hoping for Monica and Pete to break up for what felt like months now, but the prospect of it actually happening had seemed slim. The moment was a little surreal, and he wasn't sure what to tell her.

Monica shot Chandler a look through her tears, not really wanting to repeat the sentence, and knowing he had heard her, anyway. "I – I'm so sorry, Mon," he responded solemnly, managing to conceal the twinge of happiness he was feeling, "I know how much you wanted things to work out. Are – are you okay?"

Monica took a deep shaky breath, making a conscious effort to slow her tears. "I don't know. I feel miserable, but almost relieved at the same time… is that horrible or what?" She felt the usual emptiness that she always felt with the ending of a relationship, but found she didn't miss Pete as much as she would have expected. Had their relationship really been that insignificant? The thought that she wasn't really all that upset about their breakup made her most upset of all.

Chandler hugged her tighter, in an attempt to console her. "No. Not at all. You have a right to your feelings. In the immortal words of Neil Sedaka: breaking up is hard to do."

"Yeah," Monica commented softly, unable to help the twinge of a smile that appeared on her face at the very Chandler-like comment. He could never be entirely serious.

"Look," Chandler said, kissing the top of her head comfortingly, "Do you want to talk about it? I mean, I understand if you don't want to. Because I know most the time I don't want to talk about my breakups. But if you do, I'm – I'm here to listen. Unless maybe you'd rather wait for Rac–"

"Chandler," Monica interrupted his nervous rambling, "I'd love to talk about it with you."

"With me?" Chandler asked, smiling, pleased she was willing to confide in him.

"You sound surprised," Monica commented, "You did just offer to listen, right?" she asked quietly, running her hand across her face, wiping away the newest tears, fully aware she must look a mess. Chandler didn't seem to notice.

He nodded, "Yeah, I just – I guess I didn't expect you to want to open up to me about it," he admitted, "I'm not exactly known for my great comforting skills, ya'know? Maybe Rachel and Pheebs would be better?"

Monica managed a half-smile, liking that he was slightly insecure about being good enough for her to talk to. It was a refreshing change from someone like Pete, who always seemed so sure in himself, and his ability to be the best at anything. Thinking about Pete made her tears well again, but she forced them away, focusing on the man sitting next to her. "I think you're better than you think you are," she complimented, "Rachel seems to have no complaints. She's been very complimentary when it comes to everything about you." Monica smiled a little wistfully, adding in a quiet voice, "Sometimes I'm, a, um – a little jealous," she admitted shyly, her cheeks flaring up with embarrassment. Why was she telling him this?

Unused to accepting compliments from women, Chandler cleared his throat, unsure what to say. Eventually, unable to stand the silence he asked, "So, um, you wanted to talk, about, uh Pete?" he asked, unable to help his slight cringe at the thought of spending an evening talking about how much Monica missed her ex-boyfriend. If it helped her feel better, and made him look like a better man, in her eyes, he was willing to suffer through it.

Monica sighed at Chandler's deflection, feeling a little rejected by how easily he seemed to brush off her comment. Maybe she was making him uncomfortable? He was with Rachel, after all, and she had just broken up with her boyfriend. Flirting with him was totally inappropriate. She made a mental note not to put him in that position again.

Sensing her down-turned mood, Chandler grasped her hand, offering a small conciliatory smile. Monica returned it, relieved that he seemed willing to move past the awkward moment. She snuggled deeper against his side, reveling in the familiar comforting feel. "I don't even know where to start," she sighed.

"How about telling me what happened?" Chandler suggested, his tone gentle, as if he were afraid to upset her.

"Okay," Monica nodded, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, "Uh, well, at breakfast Pete told me that we needed to talk after work. I mean, soon as I heard the words 'we need to talk,' I should have known… but, stupidly, I didn't make the connection. Turns out," she swallowed hard, "he wanted to talk about how I've been kind of moody lately, and we ended up fighting about that, and one thing led to another," she admitted to Chandler, purposely leaving out that he and Rachel had come up as part of the argument, "and he basically told me that he didn't feel that my heart was in our relationship any more, and that it was over."

"I'm so sorry, Mon," Chandler said, squeezing Monica's hand, which had somehow found its way into his, while she was talking. Monica looked down at their joined hands, feeling a surge of warmth. Chandler continued to play with her fingers as he spoke, "I know it sucks now, but maybe this happened for a reason? Maybe Pete just wasn't the right one for you?" he suggested as their eyes met, the small connection seeming somehow significant, "but, I promise you, the right guy is out there, somewhere. You're too special to be alone forever. I promise."

Monica smiled into his eyes, leaning her head against his shoulder, "Thanks, Chandler, that, um, that means a lot to me."

Chandler grinned, pleased that she seemed to be feeling better and was so accepting of his comments, "I'm not just saying that to make you feel better, you know," he claimed, his eyes betraying his sincerity.

Monica grinned back, forgetting for a moment that she had just added another breakup to her seemingly unending tally, "I know you do. That's why it means so much to me."

Chandler squeezed her hand again, "So are you going to be okay, here?"

Monica nodded, "Of course. I'm glad you were the one that I bumped into first. You always have a way of making me feel better. Rachel was right, you could make a killing as a therapist, or something."

Chandler shrugged modestly, "Well it beats statistical analysis and data reconfiguration," he admitted, adding, teasing, "And, making a hundred bucks an hour for listening to women whine about their lives…"

Monica giggled, "You could open a psychiatry stand, like Lucy."

Chandler couldn't help but grin at the _Peanuts_ reference. Any woman who could spout off references to comics was in, in his book. He sat up a little straighter in his seat, with false pride, "Hmm, yeah. Think I could get a spot on the corner of 5th and 36th, by Central Park?"

"With your talent?" Monica laughed, "Easy."

Chandler beamed at the sound of her laugh, pleased with himself for helping erase her tears. "It's nice to see you laughing," he admitted, brushing back a strand of her hair, "When you came in here crying, I swear a little piece of my heart was breaking for you. I hate seeing you cry, Mon."

Monica looked up at him, flushing as he touched her hair. That, combined with his words… for a moment she let herself believe that he was flirting with her, too. "I–" she stammered, "I – thank you for cheering me up a little."

Chandler nodded, "It was nothing,' he claimed, smiling into her eyes.

Monica felt a chill run up her spine at the way he looked at her in that moment. Was this how he made Rachel feel, she wondered? The thought was promptly abandoned, as the world around them seemed to fade away. Before Monica knew what was happening, she was kissing him, and he was responding, his kisses just as perfect as Rachel described them.

Chandler's mind went absolutely blank, his mind unable to process that the kiss he had spent months dreaming about was becoming reality. He sunk into the embrace, winding his arm around her, unable to find the willpower to draw himself away. He felt the tip of her tongue trace his bottom lip, and suddenly it was gone, the kiss over as suddenly as it had started.

Monica cursed herself as she pulled way, fighting to stop her tears from returning, feeling stupid and embarrassed for initiating the kiss. Chandler was off limits. How many times did she have to tell herself? She buried her head in her hands, apologizing profusely, "Oh God, Chandler, I am so, so sorry. I cannot believe I just did that! I don't know what's wrong with me!"

"Monica," Chandler stated firmly, his tone leaving little room for argument, "Don't be sorry. There were two of us. This is just as much my fault as yours. Okay?"

Monica nodded, but her words contradicted the action, "It is, though! What kind of friend am I?! I kissed you first! And you're dating my bestfriend! I am a horrible, horrible person."

"You are not a horrible person," Chandler reiterated, "Trust me on that one, okay?"

"I-"

"Don't start," he interrupted her, his tone serious, carrying a firmness that Monica would never have expected from him, "You aren't going to win this one."

Monica nodded, her eyes downcast, "I'm still sorry."

"Don't be that, either. Maybe this happened for a reason?" he suggested, timidly, "I – maybe it's not ideal, but I don't regret it. I think I need to talk to Rachel."

"What!" Monica screeched, "No! Chandler, you can't tell her about this. You can't. Please, she's my bestfriend! I don't want this to come between you guys! The kiss was a mistake, okay?" she claimed, forcing her voice not to waver and reveal her true feelings, "Let's pretend it never happened. Please?" she pleaded.

"Shh," he consoled, as Monica burst into tears again, frightened of what he might say to Rachel that would affect all of their friendships. "Do you really think that's possible, let alone a good idea?" he wondered, trying to keep his voice soothing, so as to not upset her further.

Monica nodded vehemently, unable to consider the alternative, images of a huge blowup with Rachel floating through her mind, "For Rachel."

"Okay," Chandler nodded, hugging her, to stop her shaking. He was relieved to find she didn't pull away. "Everything is going to turn out fine," he promised, "Trust me. I'm going to talk to Rachel," he put a finger to her lips before she could protest, "But not about this. Really," he added off her terrified expression, "I just need to talk to her," he claimed, standing up and putting on his suit jacket, which had been slung on the arm of the couch.

Monica nodded, seemingly in a daze, her expression belying her nervousness. She hated situations that she couldn't control, and Chandler knew it was going to drive her insane, not knowing what he was saying to Rachel.

Sighing, Chandler dropped back into his seat and touched Monica's arm gently, "Please, Mon, relax, you're scaring me a little, here."

"I-I'm sorry. But Rachel is like my sister. You have to understand," Monica pleaded, "I can't hurt her."

"I have no intention of hurting anyone, Mon," Chandler promised, "No matter what happens, you, me and Rachel are all going to be perfectly fine."

Monica took a deep breath and nodded, willing to place her trust in him on the matter; his unwavering confidence offered her some comfort that everything _would_ be okay. Feeling that he'd gotten the response he was looking for, Chandler squeezed her hand, and left in search of Rachel.

Monica clenched her fists tightly, not even bothering to turn to watch him go. Her stomach was doing somersaults and flips. She was feeling even more confused now than she had when she entered the coffee shop. The shock of her breakup with Pete had mostly worn off, and she was left with a whole new set of problems in its place. While she had been aware of her growing feelings for Chandler for a while, she had never considered she might act on them, especially with Pete and Rachel standing between them.

Now that Pete had removed himself from her life (ironically, in part, because of what he accurately guessed were her emerging feelings for Chandler) and Chandler's hints that he might feel something for her, that barrier between them was becoming thinner and thinner.

The only real obstacle remaining?

Rachel.

xx

Chandler marched out of the coffeehouse, a huge grin on his face. He couldn't wait to tell Rachel what had happened with Monica. He had never been one to share his feelings, but he felt as if he would burst if he didn't share his happiness with someone.

He hoped that Rachel would be ready to help him stage their 'breakup.'

He was so into his own thoughts that he didn't even notice Rachel leaning against the side of their building outside of the coffeehouse, until he heard her call his name. "Chandler! Looking for me?" she wondered, picking at a cuticle.

He turned to face her, still grinning, unable to wipe the smile from his face. He didn't even notice Rachel's less-than-happy expression, and greeted her exuberantly, "Hey Rach! You'll never guess what just happened!"

"Hmm, let me guess. You kissed Monica?" she wondered, a note of sarcasm in her voice.

Chandler flushed, realizing she must have saw them. He was supposed to meet her in the coffeehouse, after all. "You, um, you saw that?"

Rachel gave a little sardonic nod, "You guys put on quite the little show in there!"

Chandler frowned at her tone. "What's your problem?" he questioned, "Why are you being so weird about this? You should be happy for me! This is what we wanted!"

"No! This was what you wanted," Rachel retorted, tears springing to her eyes. She blinked them back, trying to keep her emotions in check. "Ross hasn't budged. He's still happily engaged to Emily! You got what you wanted and I'm left out in the cold!"

"Rachel," Chandler began apologetically, reaching to hug Rachel, but she shrugged him off. A little hurt by her refusal to accept comfort, he continued, "You know I wanted you and Ross together as much as you did… But he loves Emily. Do you really think we're going to change that in two weeks? They're getting married, Rach. Married. Is it really fair for us to destroy not just a relationship, but a marriage?"

A tear trickled down Rachel's face. She felt angry, but not angry about Ross and Emily, as she was leading him to believe. She knew he was right. She had resigned herself to the fact that Ross and Emily were going to be getting married in two weeks and her relationship with him was over, for good this time. What she wasn't prepared for was Chandler leaving her, too. She'd gotten too used to him being there for her over the past few months. She didn't know when, but their fake relationship had begun to feel real and him wanting out of it hurt. Sure he hadn't said the words yet, but she knew they were coming.

"It sounds like you've already made up your mind on the matter!" she snapped, "What are you even bothering to consult me for? Why don't you go talk to your girlfriend!" she said icily, moving to push past him.

Chandler caught her arm, stopping her from leaving, "C'mon Rach. You're being unfair! If I really thought that Ross might leave Emily, there is nothing that would stop me from helping you, but it's become abundantly clear it isn't going to happen! I actually have a shot with Monica, here. All I'm asking for is a little help!"

"What do you want from me?!" Rachel snipped, suddenly angry at Chandler's admission that he felt he and Monica could work as a couple, "Do you want me to help you break us up? If that's what you want. I'm sorry, but the answer is no. No way! We had a deal, and until Ross has a ring on his finger we are not finishing this! You are staying my boyfriend and that's all there is to it!"

Chandler felt himself getting upset at her refusal to see his side of things. She was so stubborn! "You're being petty! You're mad that Monica might want me, and Ross doesn't want you!" he said meanly, glaring at her.

"Oh, like you know what I'm thinking!" Rachel growled, "Your middle name should be 'lame with women!' You wouldn't know what a woman was thinking if there was a billboard on her forehead! You'll be lucky if you and Monica last two minutes before she gets fed up with you and dumps you!" she said spitefully. "Why would she leave her multi-billion dollar boyfriend for you, anyway?! What do you have that he doesn't? Nothing, that's what! So you kissed her! So what! She probably felt sorry for you, as pathetic as you are!"

Chandler stepped back, hurt by her comments. He bit his lip, not quite sure how to respond to that. When he finally spoke his voice was even and controlled, but there was no denying the underlying anger, "You know what, Rach? I don't even know what to say to you right now! I don't want to say something I'll regret, because no matter what insults you hurl at me, you're still my friend. Maybe you don't care how I feel, but what else should I have expected from Princess Rachel Green?" he asked, unable to resist one scathing jab, "Let me know when you realize people other than you have feelings, alright? Maybe then we can talk," he said, turning on his heel and stomping towards the entrance to their apartment building, too angry to wait for her to respond, worried about what he would say in return if he did.

Rachel watched his retreating back, fat tears sliding down her cheeks. Now that the confrontation was over and her adrenaline rush was draining away, she suddenly regretted everything that she had said. He hadn't done anything wrong. He hadn't even asked her to let them break up. He hadn't had a chance before she had jumped all over him.

She slid down, sitting on the edge of the curb, her head in her hands, wondering how she could possibly make it up to him.

How was she supposed to tell him how she felt now? He thought she was the biggest bitch alive, and she had to admit that she didn't disagree. How could she have said those things to him?

She had just felt so hurt when she had seen him kissing Monica, that she hadn't cared what she had said or done, wanting to hurt him like he had her. Her pride had been bruised. She was Rachel. She wasn't used to being the one getting shoved to the side, for anyone. And for Monica, her formerly chubby sidekick? Or Emily, chippy British tart?

She had strolled happily towards her former workplace, happy about the prospect of seeing Chandler again after a long day at work, spent on dull paperwork. She had managed to put most of her sorrow about Ross's impending marriage behind her, and attempt to focus on the future, even considering maybe telling Chandler how she had been feeling about them… him… lately. Especially after sharing a kiss like the one they had earlier in the day. She couldn't be the only one who felt the connection.

Then, the incomprehensible had happened. Less than twelve hours later, she had spotted him sitting in the coffeehouse making out with Monica, like he hadn't even remembered. And maybe he really didn't. Envy had washed through her, as she had stood frozen watching them. Why had he pulled away from her, but not from Monica?

Unable to watch for long, she had retreated, leaning against the side of her apartment building to wait for him, her jealousy boiling as she waited, the seconds ticking by like minutes. When he had eventually approached her, grinning like a madman, she had lashed out, hurt that he clearly didn't feel the same burgeoning connection that she did, and now, as the result of her rash actions was left wondering if she had ruined one of the most valuable friendships of her life.

She just hoped he would believe her when she said she was sorry. She didn't dare hope for more. He had made it abundantly clear that he would be happy with Monica. And despite her harsh words, she knew Monica would be happy with him, too.

Her jealousy was what hurt the most.

xx

_Thank you all for reading :)_

_It's been crazy hot and humid here, pushing over thirty most days in the past week, so I haven't had much motivation to do anything but zone out (and drink a lot of water) but I got off my ass and wrote this, because I promised myself I would stop being lazy (good luck to me)._

_Thank you to all those who reviewed the last chapter and for the lovely responses (I've never had so many responses on one chapter since I started writing again!) and suggestions for pairings! The outline is already written, though, so I'm afraid it's already decided, but you'll find out soon enough :)_

_I hope you'll all approve of this chapter, no matter your ship :P We're getting into the more dramatic portion of the fic… uh oh._


	10. Chapter 10

**Everything You Want – Chapter Ten**

xx

Chandler poked his head into Monica and Rachel's apartment, still in his suit and tie, fresh from work, relieved to see that the whole gang was gathered there. Over the past couple days he had been doing his best to avoid situations where he would be alone with either Monica or Rachel, but didn't want his friends to think he was avoiding them. Monica and Rachel had been acting much the same, and other than in group settings he hadn't spoken directly to either of them in nearly two days. Strangely, Rachel seemed almost afraid to approach him, her actions the polar opposite of her anger a couple days previous.

He had the sneaking suspicion that Phoebe and Ross knew something wasn't quite right between him and Rachel, but were wary of asking either him or Rachel about it. Monica was fully aware, or so she thought, of the problem and did her best to pretend it didn't exist, filled with guilt for her part in it. Joey, as always was oblivious.

"Hey guys!" Chandler called as he strolled into the apartment, more cautiously than he would have only a week ago. All of his friends turned to greet him before returning to their newspapers, TVs and whatever other tasks they had been involved in before he entered.

Only Rachel's gaze lingered a little longer than the others, as she debated with herself whether or not she should talk to him and apologize before things degenerated to even more awkward than they already were. In the end, cowardice won out, and she simply watched him plop onto the couch between Monica and Joey, feeling a little sting that he was sitting so closely to Monica without a problem, even though things had been strained between him and Monica, too. It was irrational, she knew, since he couldn't sit beside her, since she was in the arm chair and there was no room, but she couldn't help her feelings.

Shaking her head slightly, unnoticeably unless one was looking for it, Rachel took a deep breath and snatched a magazine off the coffee table in front of her, resolving not to pay so much attention to his every move when he was in her presence. She shouldn't even care. It wasn't like there was anything to care about, they weren't even in a relationship. Treating it too much like one was what had got her in this trouble in the first place.

Looking up and catching Rachel's eye inadvertently, Chandler half-smiled at her, before quickly diverting his attention elsewhere. A glimmer of hope fluttered within her that their friendship wasn't unsalvageable with that simple smile. Making a mental promise to herself, Rachel decided she would talk to him, tonight.

"I'm going to get a beer. Anyone else want one?" he asked a little too loudly. Joey nodded vigorously, pleased, as always, at the though of one of his two favourite things in the world.

Chandler smiled at his bestfriend and headed for the girls' fridge, sighing in relief at getting away from being sandwiched in between two awkward situations.

He ducked over, searching the shelves for beer, coming up empty save for half a case of light beers. "Hey, Joe," he called into the living room, where Joey was still seated, "You okay with a light beer? It's all the girls've got."

Joey twisted in his seat wrinkling his nose in disgust, "Light beer? Who would drink that? It's nearly as bad as light mayo!" He turned to glare at Rachel, "which _someone_ has been trying to force on me."

Rachel rolled her eyes, "Joey! It tastes the same! You said so yourself!"

Joey frowned. "Oh yeah, still, beer is totally different."

"It's better for you though," Ross interjected, "Less calories. You've been picking up a few pounds lately, Joe. Maybe a light beer wouldn't be a bad idea?" he suggested casually.

Joey frowned, looking down at himself, inspecting his body for the supposed added weight.

Chandler rolled his eyes at the whole exchange, and asked, "Geez! All I wanted to know was if Joey wanted a light beer or not?"

Joey shook his head, looking at his other friends defiantly, "No, I'm good. I don't care if light beer is better for me or not," he said stubbornly, "it's not the same."

Chandler shrugged and grabbed one of the beers for himself, beer was beer and he definitely needed a bottle now. Popping off the lid, he leaned against the countertop, taking a swig as he drifted into thought and the light beer debate raging on beyond him in the living room. He was so into his thoughts that he didn't hear her slither up next to him, and lean on the counter next to him, until she asked him what he was thinking about.

"Nothing special," he shrugged, explaining in a quiet voice to avoid their nosy friends' overhearing, "Just thinking how everything got to this point."

"With us?" she asked.

He nodded taking another gulp of his beer, "In part. With Rachel, too, I guess. Everything just seems to be in chaos now, you know?"

Monica nodded, "Yeah, I think I do. I'm sorry about that, by the way. That you and Rachel aren't talking, I mean."

Chandler flushed, looking down at his beer bottle in embarrassment, unaware that his issues with Rachel were quite so publicly known. "You know about that?"

Monica nodded with a wry smirk, "How could I not? Ross and Phoebe know, too. They're worried about you guys, but just as worried about bringing it up. I – I'm, I know this is my fault. I'm sorry," she said remorsefully, "This was the last thing that I wanted."

Chandler shook his head aggressively, staring directly in her eyes to communicate his seriousness. "No, Monica. Don't think like that, please. You just triggered something that was bound to happen sooner or later. We weren't really exactly happy, as much as it might have seemed, anyway."

Monica frowned in confusion, shifting against the counter, her discomfort with the direction of the conversation manifesting itself in her body language, "What do you mean? You guys were doing so great! How could you _not_ be happy?"

Chandler sighed, setting his beer on the counter behind him and turning to face her, his voice lowering slightly, "We were never one another's first choice. We were just kind of thrown together, and we went with it."

Monica's frown deepened, and her heartbeat sped up as she guessed at what he was implying, "R-really?" she managed to stutter, "Who did you…?"

Chandler smiled slightly, "Rachel's always had a thing for Ross. Him getting engaged really hit her hard, and then with Emily setting a date and everything… it just compounded. And you know how I've been starting to feel about you," he added, almost as an afterthought, flushing furiously.

Her heart pounding furiously against her ribs, Monica asked nervously, "What do we do now?"

Chandler shrugged, "I really don't know. I don't even know what exactly Rachel and I are anymore," he confessed, "We fought and… ended up blaming one another, and our lingering feelings elsewhere, for all of our problems. It just, didn't seem like a normal fight that you can recover from, though, you know? We're essentially over," he added, even though it was only a half-truth, and something that he had never discussed with Rachel. He was sick of playing this game, and if she wasn't talking to him anymore, why should he do any favours for her? As far as he was concerned it was every man for himself.

Monica's eyes widened, "You guys broke up?"

Chandler shook his head, "Not in so many words," he admitted, "I think that's where we're headed, though. It's for the best, really," he suggested, "She wanted Ross, and I – I," he stuttered, "Rachel said I'd always wanted you first, and that my heart wasn't in it, either," he eventually mumbled, "Because of you," he admitted, shyly.

He moved to squeeze her hand, gently, and too shell-shocked about all that had been revealed to do anything else, Monica let him. "I – I don't know what to say?" she muttered, "I thought that you – I didn't think that I – Rachel and you seemed so – Oh, hell, I don't know what I was thinking," she said eventually, "I'm just – surprised," she finished.

"If it makes you feel any better," Chandler half-smirked, "I don't know quite what to think, either. I do know one thing, though. I like you, I like you a lot, and when we kissed two days ago, it just felt right, like something just, almost clicked, if that doesn't sound entirely corny."

"Oh it does," Monica laughed, "but that's okay, because I think I know what you mean," she admitted, ducking her head and playing with the hem of her shirt shyly, picking at an invisible thread.

Chandler allowed himself a small grin, and leaned against the counter proudly, "Yeah?" Monica nodded silently.

Nervously, peeking into the living room to make sure none of their friends were watching, Chandler quickly leaned in, placing a soft but meaningful kiss on her lips.

When he pulled away a moment later he whispered, "Click," before squeezing her hand, and walking towards the living area where the rest of their friends were gathered.

Monica watched him go, a tiny smile creeping on to her face. Yeah, she definitely felt it that time.

xx

In the hours since her talk with Chandler, Monica's head had been swirling with all sorts of thoughts about what he had said, her growing feelings for him and how Rachel must be feeling about her breakup with Chandler. After everything that had transpired Rachel was still her bestfriend, and she was dying to talk to her about what had happened and make it known that she wasn't trying to overstep any inappropriate boundaries with Chandler. After what had seemed like an eternity, Joey, Phoebe, Chandler and Ross had cleared out leaving the two roommates alone.

"Rach?" Monica called out her friend's name, tentatively, unsure exactly what she was going to say, even as she initiated the conversation.

Rachel walked over, and sat down at the kitchen table across from her friend, and smiled tightly, feeling a tension that shouldn't have been there in the first place. They were bestfriends for God's sake, not arguing siblings. "What's up, Mon?" she asked, folding her hands in front of her on the table and staring down at them.

Unsure how to start the conversation in a gentler way, Monica decided blunt was the best method. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I'm sorry about what happened with Chandler."

Visibly tensing, her fists clenching in front of her involuntarily, Rachel feigned ignorance, "Um, sorry about what?"

"You know, the fight, the breakup?" Monica prodded gently, "I feel it's partly my fault, as I'm sure he's told you what happened between us, and I think we should talk about it, settle things, maybe hear one another's sides of the story?" she suggested quietly, as if worried Rachel might jump out of her seat and start clawing at her any moment.

Rachel felt a little stab in her throat at the admission that Chandler had told Monica they broke up, even after their argument about that very subject, and swallowed hard in an attempt to remove it. He had actually confirmed their breakup? Was that why she had kissed him? She wasn't sure if Monica knew that she knew that, so she kept the thought to herself, her anger and jealousy assaulting her insides at the memory. But stronger than that was a sense of self-sacrifice; she wanted him to be happy, really, despite her harsh words to him earlier. If their 'break up' was going to do it for him… so be it. "I guess we did," she eventually admitted sadly, fighting back tears by blinking several times.

Monica reached out a hand to touch Rachel's gently, supportively. Against all her urges to fling Monica away in anger, she accepted it. This wasn't Monica's fault. It was Chandler's if anything… and goddamnit, why did he have to be so irritatingly lovable? Lovable enough, that in spite of all his quirks, she wanted him to have what he wanted… even if it wasn't exactly what she did.

"I'm so sorry, Rach. I really am… I hope you don't think badly of me? For – for being part of the reason that you're not together?" she asked quietly, tears pooling in her eyes as well, "I didn't mean to feel the way I did about him, either… I tried to want Pete, I swear it, it just didn't work out that way."

"No honey, no," Rachel soothed, her own watery eyes making it hard, "I know you can't help who you fall in love with. If it makes you feel any better, Chandler and I… we were never in love that way. We both wanted other people from the start, it was a union of convenience, I guess," she claimed, realizing that it was really the truth. She had no reason to be upset with Chandler for loving someone else. That's what their 'relationship' had been about from the beginning. That newfound knowledge, as obvious as it should have been, eased the pain a little. She was fighting a losing battle from the start.

Monica swiped at a stray tear and smiled slightly even as more threatened to fall, "Chandler mentioned that, as well. In that case, I'm sorry about Ross, too. I can't imagine how hard that must be for you."

Rachel nodded solemnly, "Yeah, those damn feelings for Ross always come back to bite me in the ass," she said in a decidedly serious, her tone changing abruptly to something more sarcastic, "I guess I'm just not meant to be in a relationship right now, huh?" she said in a weak attempt at a joke.

Monica shook her head, "Don't say that. You just weren't meant to be with Ross or Chandler. You'll find someone, I know it," she claimed determinedly, her eyes as fierce as Rachel had ever seen them. She couldn't help but feel a little in awe of Monica's protectiveness of her.

Rachel let loose a tiny smirk. "Hmm, yeah. Maybe I'll end up with Joey next?" she commented sardonically, with a wry laugh, "Complete the trio."

Monica laughed, too. "Maybe, you never know who you'll fall for next. I've certainly learned that lesson the hard way the past few years."

"Yeah, me too," Rachel agreed with a reflective nod, "I gotta say, in college if you'd ever told me I would fall for either Ross or Chandler in a few years time, I would have told you that you were out of your mind and that those two dorks were as far away from my type as humanly possible. I guess it'd serve me right to fall for Joey after that," she said wistfully. "Anyway," she changed the subject abruptly, "I think I'm going to head to bed, it's been a long day. Just, Mon? Don't let anything that happened between me and Chandler stand in the way of you guys, okay?" she asked, pausing to wait for Monica to nod before continuing, "He wanted you long before he ever wanted me, and I want him to be happy," she said, adding almost as a second thought, "And, you too. I've heard the way you used to talk about him, too."

Monica smiled broadly, impulsively hugging her friend, "Thanks, that means a lot to me, Rach. You are my bestfriend, you know."

"I know," Rachel said hugging her friend back tightly, "And you're mine, no guy will ever change that, alright?"

xx

_So… it's been quite awhile since I've updated this what with the You Are Not Alone detour… I hope you all remember what happened last :P (I had to go back and check myself before continuing this :P) This one is a little on the shorter side (as far as I go) but I wanted to update before I leave and felt this was as good a place to leave off as any._

_I'm leaving for London on Friday, and going to Paris from there, so I won't be updating this for the next few weeks, since I won't have internet access… but who knows, maybe I'll write on the plane or something and have stuff to update with as soon as I get back :P Hopefully this update will tide everyone over until then :)_

_As always, thank you for your awesome reviews… I reached over a hundred with the last chapter, which is just so awesome. So thank you for that :) Leave another one, please, so I'll have something to smile about while I frantically try to pull myself together and get my packing done tomorrow? :P_


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